


Shadowships; the beginning

by Vicsmi



Series: Malec and Movie Plots [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Star Trek
Genre: A little ooc but hopefully in a fun way, Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Logical Magnus, M/M, Movieplot, Reckless Alec, Slow Burn, Star Trek 2009 - Freeform, grumpy Jace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24825082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vicsmi/pseuds/Vicsmi
Summary: Alexander G. Lightwood is reckless, hotheaded, and brave, trying to fill his late father’s shoes.Mr. Bane is calculating, intelligent, calm, and logical, and he’s trying to prove that being part human is not a weakness.When a vengeful Romulan is trying to destroy the Clave one planet at a time, will they be able to work together to stop him?or!  the one where Alec is a daredevil, Magnus is the logical one keeping him in check, Jace is a total grump, and Izzy is just being her awesome self (almost).UPDATE: FINISHED!!
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Malec and Movie Plots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738063
Comments: 22
Kudos: 35





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was unsure about this one, but I thought I would throw a chapter or two out there at least to see how it feels. If I continue this I will provide a character list as to who is who in this crazy fusion. I will also update the tags accordingly. Enjoy! :)
> 
> Update: So yeah, I stuck with it! Here is the promised list of characters and also the renaming of some terms used in this fic. I hope I got everyone! 
> 
> The Federation = The Clave  
> Starfleet = Shadowfleet  
> USS Enterprise = USS Institute  
> USS Kelvin = USS Idris
> 
> Kirk = Alec  
> Spock = Magnus  
> Bones = Jace  
> Uhura = Izzy  
> Pike = Luke  
> Sulu = Maia  
> Chekov = Raphael  
> Scotty = Simon  
> Keenser = Clary

_“USS Idris, go for Shadowfleet base.”_

_“We sent you a transmission. Did you receive it?”_

_“Idris, have you double-checked those readings?”_

_“Triple-checked. Our gravitational sensors are going crazy, you should see this. It looks like a lightning storm.”_

_"But it seems impossible..."_

_“Yes, ma'am, I understand. That's why we sent it.”_

Robert Lightwood was sitting at his station when the captain walked onto the bridge. The captain asked for a report and everyone updated him with the latest stats. They had just gotten some strange readings, it was as if though there was a lightning storm, in space… His thoughts were interrupted by another officer. 

“Captain, are you seeing this?”

With the captain and everyone else, Robert looked to where the other officer pointed. Right in front of them, from what looked to be the ‘lightning storm’ a large vessel exited. It must have been at least fifteen times bigger than their ship, if not more. It was enormous! Robert felt the tension thicken on the bridge, he saw worry in his fellow officers’ eyes. 

“I have a reading!” An officer said. 

“They’ve locked their weapons on us!” Another called out.

“Red alert.” The captain said and Robert took the orders. 

“Torpedoes locked on 320 degrees, mark 2!” Robert answered his captain. 

“Evasive pattern delta five!” The captain called out and they followed his orders. 

“Incoming fragments!” Robert warned just as the fragments hit their ship, making the vessel shake, hard. 

When everyone had gained their footing again reports came flying in from everywhere, creating a loud cackle of different voices that filled the bridge. It was interrupted by a voice booming from the screen where there was now an image of a Romulan, a bald humanoid, dressed in dark clothing. 

_“Hello. My commander would like to request a meeting with your captain to negotiate a ceasefire. Your captain will take a shuttlecraft onto our ship. Refusal would be… Unwise.”_ The romulan said.

“Lightwood. Walk with me.” The captain said and Robert quickly followed him out of the bridge. 

“Captain?” He asked cautiously. “You’re not really considering going over there, are you?”

“I have no choice. If I don’t report back in 15 minutes, evacuate the crew. Follow my vitals on the bridge, if anything happens to me, evacuate immediately. Use autopilot, and get off this ship.” The captain ordered and Robert nodded.

“Aye, captain.”

“No.” The captain said. “You’re the captain now, Mr. Lightwood.” 

Robert nodded once and when the captain was out of sight he rushed back onto the bridge. 

“Pull up his vitals and wait for my orders.” He said and the other officers nodded and followed his directions. 

After a few minutes their captain was onboard the alien ship. They couldn’t hear or see him, they could only follow his process through his vitals. 

“His heart rate is elevated.” An officer informed Robert. 

✰✰✰

The captain bordered the alien ship. He was nervous, and his heart was pounding in his chest. Two Romulans met him when he stepped off the shuttle. They lead him through the enormous ship and he took in its surroundings. This was definitely not a Shadowfleet vessel, it looked almost… Industrial. After a few minutes of walking he was pushed towards a larger space filled with the humanoids, and in the middle of the room sat one of them on a large, black throne. He had tattoos on his face, strange symbols. He was obviously the leader, but he was not the one that spoke. 

“Do you recognize this vessel?” Another one of them asked, presenting a holographic image of another strange ship, it was small, and white, and circular, it was one the captain did not recognize. 

“Why doesn’t your commander speak?” The captain asked, disregarding his question. 

“I speak for Captain Valentine.” The first Romulan said. 

  
“Then ask Captain Valentine what gives him the right to attack a Clave vessel?” The captain asked angrily. 

At this Captain Valentine seemed to peak up. He looked at the Romulan who had been asking questions, and they seemed to have an entire conversation by just their shared look. The first Romulan spoke again. 

“Do you know the location of Ambassador Bane?” 

“I am unfamiliar with Ambassador Bane.” The captain said, now unsurely. 

Another conversation seemed to be held with yet another gaze between the first Romulan and their captain. 

“What is the current stardate?” He then asked. 

The captain looked between the different Romulans, not really understanding why that would be of importance, but he humored them nonetheless. 

  
“22330.4” He answered and the Romulans’ eyes widened. 

Before he knew what hit him, captain Valentine had gotten up from his seat, and impaled the Shadowfleet captain with his multiheaded spear. 

✰✰✰

Robert looked at the captain’s vitals. One second they were fine, the next the text ‘TERMINATED’ lit up the screen, and all hell broke loose. Alarms sounded, people were shouting reports, and their captain was dead. 

“They’re locked on our signal!” An officer called out. 

“Evasive maneuver, raise the shields, we need to evacuate!” Robert called out his orders, just like the captain had told him to. 

He ran to the captain’s seat and opened up the com to the whole ship. 

“All decks, this is the acting captain speaking. Evacuate the ship immediately! Get to your designated shuttlecraft. I repeat, this is the acting captain speaking. Evacuate the ship immediately! Get to your designated shuttlecraft, now!” He called out, ordering the ship to clear out. 

He knew what he had to do. There was no way the shuttle crafts were getting away without a distraction. He needed to set the ship course towards the alien vessel. He thought of his pregnant wife, who was onboard. He hoped she was okay. Just then, he got a call. 

_“Robert?!”_ He heard Maryse’s voice over the phone. 

“Thank God you’re okay!” He said, feeling relief flood over him. “I have Medical Shuttle 37 standing by. Get to it now. Can you get to it?”

_“Yes.”_

“Good. Everything's going to be okay. Do exactly as I say. Shuttle 37.”

_“Robert, the baby! It’s coming!”_ Maryse called out through clenched teeth, she sounded like she was in pain. 

“I’ll be right there, sweetie!” He called out and started to set the collision course. 

_“Autopilot function is not working. Course must be set manually.”_ A robotic voice told him. 

Dammit. He knew what he had to do. He sent a silent prayer to whoever that his wife and child would be okay. Then he set the course manually and kept it from the captain’s chair. He continued to listen to his wife over the phone. He set up the com to the shuttle. 

“Captain to shuttle 37, is my wife onboard?” 

_“Yes sir, she is. We’re just waiting for you.”_ He heard a response. 

“No, take off immediately.” He ordered. 

_“But, sir-”_

“That’s an order!” 

_“Yes sir.”_

_“Robert! The shuttle’s leaving, where are you?!”_ He heard Maryse’s voice. 

“Maryse, listen to me. I’m not going to be there.” He said with tears in his eyes. 

_“What? You’re still on the ship?!”_ She screamed in panic. 

“Sweetheart, it’s going to be okay.” He tried to comfort, hearing her tears of panic over the phone. 

_“I need you here, please!”_ She cried out. 

Robert listened to her. It was terrible, but this is what needed to be done. He listened for a few minutes, fighting off the attacks so that the shuttles could get away. Then he set the collision course and the timer started to count down. That’s when he heard a wailing baby. 

“What is it?” He asked, tears now mixed of joy and sadness. 

_“It’s a boy!”_ Maryse exclaimed happily.

“A boy? What should we call him?” Robert asked, glancing at the timer. He had about 45 seconds left of life. 

_“We could name his after your father?”_ Maryse suggested. 

  
“Gideon? No that’s terrible!” He laughed out. “Name him after your father.” He said with a smile. 

_“Okay. Alexander it is.”_ Maryse practically whispered. 

Robert glanced at the timer. In a few seconds, he’d be dead. 

“I love you, Maryse. I love you so so much.” He said.

Then, there was an explosion.


	2. Growing up

Alec wouldn’t call himself a rebel. He just got bored really easily. And when he got bored, the most extravagant ideas of activities popped into his head, and he followed up on them. He liked the feeling they gave him. His heart was beating faster, his adrenaline pumped through his veins, he was happy, and alive. Today had been one of those boring days, which was why he was now speeding on an abandoned street in Iowa, the dust filling the air, in an old, antique car he’d stolen from his step-dad, even though he was only 12 years old and could barely see over the hood of said car. It was half boredom at least that had caused this excursion, the other half was a slight punishment for said step-dad, after yet another comment about how his half sister Isabelle, or Izzy, was the better child, because that was  _ his _ child, and Alec, well,  _ wasn’t. _

He glanced in the rearview mirror of the old convertible and saw a police officer following him on a hoverbike. He gulped. There was no way he was getting out of this, especially if his step-dad had called the cops on him, but he couldn’t be bothered to actually care. He liked the feeling of the wind breezing through his hair, it was freeing. He kept speeding, trying to outrun the police, but soon he came to an edge, and he really didn’t want to plummet down to a certain death. So he turned the car around sharply to make it stop, but it kept sliding towards the edge. He did the only thing he thought of, which was jump out of the car. He landed with a thud on the dusty ground, watching as his step-dad’s prized, antique car slid right off the edge and into nothingness. He looked back towards the siren and watched as the officer stepped off his hoverbike and walked towards him. 

“Citizen. What is your name?” The officer asked in a robotic voice. 

Alec stood up, straightened his back, and answered. “Alexander Gideon Lightwood.”

✰✰✰

Magnus Bane stood in his bowl shaped hole in the Vulcan classroom. The whole room was filled with them, one for each student. He would stand there all class, answering questions that the robotic voice asked him while the teachers walked around, observing the students. 

_ “What is the formula of the volume of a sphere?” _

“Four-thirds pi times the radius cubed.” Magnus answered stoically. 

_ “What is the square root of 2,396,324?” _

“1548.” He answered again. 

Magnus kept answering questions until class was over, and he stepped out of his bowl and started to pack away his things. Behind him he heard three people. 

“Hey, Bane!” One of them called. 

“I assume you have come up with new insults for today?” Magnus asked without turning around. 

“Affirmative.” Another said and Magnus did turn around then. 

“This is your 35th attempt to elicit an emotional response from me.” Magnus said matter-of-factly. 

“You are neither Vulcan, nor human. Therefore, you have no place in this universe.” One of them said. 

“Look at his eyes. They are so human. So sad.” Another said. 

“His father is a traitor. He married a human whore.” The third said and Magnus felt the emotions swirl inside of him. 

The boy proceeded to push him, and Magnus snapped. He pushed the boy back and he fell into one of the bowls in the floor. Magnus slid down and kept punching the boy on the floor until his green blood stained his knuckles and a teacher broke them apart. He was led to wait outside of the principal’s office, where his father soon joined him. 

“Emotions run deep in our veins, Magnus, deeper than in humans. Logic offers a serenity that they seldom experience. It offers the control of feelings, so that our feelings do not control us.” His father, Asmodeus, spoke. 

Magnus looked at him, confused. “Are you telling me to be fully Vulcan, when you yourself married a human?” He asked. 

His father seemed to ponder the question. “I am the ambassador of Earth, therefore I need to understand human behaviour. Marrying your mother was… Logical. Magnus, you are capable of choosing your own path, but which one you decide to take, is something only you can decide.” Asmodeus told him stoically, but Magnus found comfort in his words, nonetheless. 

✰✰✰

Several years later, his father’s words were still with him. It was up to him, and only him, to choose his own path. He could either go the Vulcan way, and attend the Vulcan Science Academy, or he could choose the more human path and attend the Shadowfleet Academy. He had applied to both, of course, but ultimately he had decided on the Vulcan way. So here he was, standing in front of the council, ready to hear if he had been accepted or rejected. 

“You have exceeded your instructors’ expectations and have a flawless record, with one exception. I see that you have applied to the Shadowfleet as well.” The high minister of the council told Magnus as he stood before them. 

“It seemed only logical to have multiple options.” Magnus replied stoically, as he’d been taught. 

“Logical, but unnecessary. You are hereby accepted to the Vulcan Science Academy.” The minister told him. “It is impressive, Mr. Bane, that you have achieved so much despite your disadvantage.” He continued. 

Disadvantage? Surely they couldn’t be speaking of his human side? Could they?

“Just to clarify, minister. To what disadvantage are you referring?” He asked challengingly, even though he knew the answer. 

“Your human mother.” The minister told him, and Magnus felt his emotions again. 

His mother had always been his weak spot, but not a weakness, never a weakness. He was proud of his human side, his human parent. He glanced up to his father who sat with the council, and he decided his own path. 

“Council, ministers, I have to decline.” Magnus said. 

“No Vulcan has ever declined admission to this academy.” The minister said matter-of-factly. 

“Well, since I am half human your record will be yet untarnished I suppose.” Magnus said and shut the minister right up. 

His father stood and peered down at him. “Mr. Bane.” He said coldly. “You have committed to honour the Vulcan way.” He said, warning in his tone, but Magnus just scoffed. 

“Why did you come before this council today, Mr. Bane? Was it to fill an emotional need to rebel?” The first minister asked him. 

Of course they would go there, blame it all on human emotions. 

“The only  _ emotion _ I wish to convey is gratitude. Thank you ministers, for your consideration. Live long and prosper.” Magnus said curtly, and with that, he turned around and walked away.

✰✰✰

Ten more years had passed since the day Alec had stolen his step-dad’s car, and there had been a few more times where he had gotten ‘bored’, but tonight was anything but boring. His half sister had just completed her first year at the Shadowfleet Academy, and tonight was her last night home before shipping off to do her second year in the morning. She had, as per usual, invited him out to the bar where they all hung out for a going away celebration. Alec, the proud big brother he was, had accepted. Sometimes he felt a little ashamed that Izzy was several years younger than him and was already so much further along than him, but then he reminded himself that he didn’t even  _ want _ to join the Shadowfleet. So, here he was, sitting at the bar with her, enjoying a Cardassian Sunrise, talking about her classes and her excitement for the upcoming year. 

“So, how are you enjoying your focus? Still completely sold on xenolinguistics?” He asked, sipping on his drink. 

Of course, that’s when Meliorn, her douchebag ex, decided to show up. 

“Farm boy! I’m impressed to hear such big words come out of your mouth. Tell me, what  _ is _ xenolinguistics?” He mocked and Alec just rolled his eyes. 

“Leave him alone, Meliorn.” Izzy warned. 

“No, it’s fine, Iz. Xenolinguistics, the study of alien languages. Morphology, phonology, syntax.” He said calmly, wiping the smirk off of Meliorn’s face. “Say,  _ Meliorn, _ can you even spell those words?” He added with a scoff. 

“Watch it, farm boy!” The man scowled. 

“Or what, exactly?” Alec challenged, and that’s when the punches flew. 

“Guys! Enough!” Izzy exclaimed, trying to break them up with no success. 

Alec got suckerpunched right over the nose, but he got in some good shots at Meliorn too, he could definitely take him. Or well, he could if it wasn’t for the fact that Meliorn’s friends decided to join the ‘fun’ and they were suddenly in a 4 to 1 fight. Cowards… 

“Guys, enough!” Izzy yelled, but of course no one was listening.

Alec was currently held down on top of a table, receiving punch after punch across his face when a loud whistle caught everyone’s attention. Captain Luke Garroway stepped inside of the bar. 

“Everyone, outside!” He ordered, and everyone who was in Shadowfleet uniform quickly scurried out under slight protests. 

Luke walked up to Alec and observed his bloody face. “You okay, son?” 

He helped Alec up and gave him some paper to shove up his nose to stop the bleeding. He then ordered them a beer each and observed the young man before him. After a moment he broke the silence lingering between them. 

“You know, I couldn’t believe my ears when the bartender called me and told me who you were.” Luke said and sipped his beer. 

“And who am I?” Alec asked, sipping his own drink nonchalantly. 

“You father’s son.” Luke said in a serious tone. 

Alec froze up. This guy, captain Garroway, knew his dad? Knew  _ of _ his dad?

“What does that even mean?” He asked after a while. 

“It  _ means _ that I know all about your dad, and what he did at the USS Idris. Alec, if you are even half the man your dad was, Shadowfleet could use you. This thing you do, jumping into everything head first without thinking? Your dad did it too, and it was what made him such an amazing officer.” Luke explained. 

“Yeah, well. Look where that got him.” Alec said with a scoff. 

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Luke asked, and when he didn’t get an answer he continued. “Enlist in the Shadowfleet.”

“Enlist in the-? How low are you on your quota of recruits to enlist someone like me?” Alec asked and then chuckled incredulously. 

“I don’t get it. I checked your file you know. Your aptitude tests are off the charts, so what is it? You like being an overly intelligent local, to feel superior?” Luke asked, frustration colouring his voice. 

“Yeah, maybe I love it.” Alec said and downed his beer. 

“I doubt it. Your father died, I get it, it sucks. But don’t you feel like you were meant for something better than this? You could be an officer in 4 short years. Have your own ship in 8. Do you even know what the Clave stands for? Why it’s so important? They’re peacekeepers and work with humanitarian armada-”

“Are you done?” Alec interrupted. 

“Yeah, I’m done.” Luke said and stood up. “The shipyard. The shuttle with new recruits leaves at 0800 hours.” He said and started to walk away. He turned around to say one last thing. “Your father was the captain of a shadowship for 12 minutes, and he saved 800 lives, including yours and your mother’s. Do better. I dare you.” 

And with that, captain Luke Garroway turned around and walked out of the bar, leaving Alec with a lot to think about, and a dare he couldn’t refuse. 

✰✰✰

The next morning Alec walked up to captain Garroway who was standing at the entrance to the shuttle. As he passed him he muttered. 

“4 years? I’ll do it in 3.” 

He then walked inside, passed a scowling Meliorn, and took an empty seat. He fiddled with the harness a bit and then glanced around. He could spot Izzy further in the shuttle, sitting with some other second years. When she saw him she looked shocked, then smiled at him encouragingly. Suddenly, he heard yelling. 

“I told you! I don’t need a doctor, I  _ am _ a goddamned doctor!” 

“Sir, you need to find a seat!”

There was a blonde man arguing with one of the officers, and he was being ushered towards Alec. He watched the scene curiously. 

“You need to have a seat!” The officer said again, voice louder. 

“I suffer from aviophobia! Do you know what that means? It’s fear of dying in something that flies!” The blonde man yelled. 

“Sir, sit the hell down or I’m going to  _ make you _ sit down!” The officer yelled, and the blonde finally seemed to yield. 

He took the empty seat next to Alec, looking extremely grumpy, sipping something from a flask. “I may throw up on you.” He then warned Alec. 

“I-I think these things are pretty safe…” Alec said unsurely. 

“Right. You know, one microscopic crack in the hull and our blood will boil in 13 seconds. Or better yet, a solar flare could crop up and cook us in our seats!” The blonde exclaimed in frustration. 

“What’s your problem?” Alec asked, now getting a little jittery about the shuttle ride. 

“Space is disease and danger, wrapped up in quiet darkness.” The blonde muttered. 

“Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Shadowfleet operates in space!” Alec scoffed. 

“Yeah well… I have nowhere else to go. My ex claimed the whole goddamned planet in the breakup, all I’ve got left are my bones.” The blonde said and sipped from his flask again. 

He offered it to Alec who took a sip, and immediately scrunched up his face. Whatever was in that flask was strong enough to kill a small horse… 

“Alec Lightwood.” He introduced himself and gave the flask back. 

“Jace. Herondale.” The blonde said and took another sip.


	3. Cadets and Distress Calls

**_3 years later_ **

Alec was walking down the steps of the academy, Jace close behind him. Alec was happy today, because he had  _ finally _ found a way to beat the unbeatable Kobayashi Maru, a simulation test that tested everyone’s different positions on a shadowship bridge, a test that everybody failed. 

“Why are you so happy? You’re skipping.” Jace asked his friend of 3 years. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Alec said with a wide smile. “That reminds me, I’m taking the test again tomorrow morning, 8am sharp, I need you there.” 

Jace looked at him with wide eyes and stopped him, hands on his shoulders. 

“Alec, I love you, but no. I’m a doctor, I’m busy! I have better things to do than watch you embarrass yourself a  _ third _ time. It’s the Kobayashi, okay? No one goes back for seconds, yet along  _ thirds _ . You’re crazy!” He said and looked into Alec’s eyes in a serious matter. 

Alec just smiled, mischief glinting in his eyes. “Pleeease.” He begged. 

Jace sighed. “Fine, but this is the last time!” 

“Thank you! See you later, I’ve gotta go study.” Alec chirped and ran off. 

“Study, right…” Jace scoffed and walked away in the opposite direction.

✰✰✰

“Fuck, Raj.” Alec moaned, laying on top of the guy he’d been dating for a few months. 

“Alec. I love you.” Raj moaned back. 

Alec froze. “That’s… So weird.” He said without thinking, and Raj sat up straight. 

“‘That’s so weird’? Are you serious?” He asked incredulously. 

“Sorry, I, uhm…” Alec trailed off, because it  _ was _ weird. 

“Alec, what the-” He was interrupted by the door. 

“Shit!” Alec exclaimed and dove behind Raj’s bed. 

This year, Raj’s roommate was none other than his sister, Izzy, and Alec hadn’t really come out to her yet, which meant that this situation was  _ awkward as hell _ . Alec thought Izzy knew, but he wasn’t really ready to confirm it quite yet. He heard her step into the room. 

“Hey, Raj. How are you?” He heard her asking. 

“I’m good.” Raj said. 

“Good, good. So I was just in the long-range sensor lab, and it was the strangest thing… I was just tracking solar systems and then I picked up an emergency transmission.” She said then.

“Really?” Raj asked, clearly not that interested. 

  
“Yeah, it was from a Klingon prison planet.” Izzy said, and now Alec’s interest peaked. “It was a Klingon armada, 47 ships, and-”

Alec shot up from behind the bed. “Really? Tell me more!” He said, clearly without thinking.

“Alec?! Oh my God! What are you doing here? And in your… Underwear?” She asked, looking him up and down with furrowed brows, an amused smile tugging at her lips. 

Shit. Alec had forgotten about that piece of information. 

“Right, I uh…” He trailed off, not knowing how to explain it away. 

“Raj? Really? I never would have thought  _ he _ was your type… No offense.” She said and looked apologetically at her roommate.

“A little taken.” Raj said casually and started getting dressed. 

“So, you know.” Alec said, more of a statement than a question. 

“Oh please, big brother, I’ve known since you were 15!” Izzy said and laughed. 

Alec laughed with her, and Raj just left the room. 

“What’s his problem?” Izzy asked. 

“I think we broke up.” Alec said and shrugged. 

“Was it something I said?” She asked worriedly. 

“No, it was something I  _ didn’t _ say, I guess.” Alec said and rubbed his face. 

“Oh Alec, you know you don’t have to hide your sexuality, right?” She said and sat down on her bed. 

“I know, I just like to keep that part of my life, you know, private.” He said and got dressed. 

“I get it.” She said casually. 

“So, anyways, I’m taking the test again tomorrow, you’ll be there, right?” He asked. 

“The Kobayashi? Again? Of course I’ll be there, but no offense, you  _ are  _ going to fail again. The test is not made for winning.” She said, looking at him with furrowed brows. 

“I think you’re just underestimating my captain skills.” He said with a wink, and then left towards the door. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say big brother, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Izzy said with a laugh and Alec left. 

✰✰✰

“We are receiving a distress signal from the USS Kobayashi Maru.” Izzy informed her brother. 

Alec was sitting in the captain’s seat of the simulation bridge, leading the rest of the officers in the scenario. 

“The ship has lost power and is stranded. Shadowfleet command has ordered us to rescue them.” She continued. 

“Shadowfleet command has ordered us to rescue them,  _ captain _ .” Alec said and winked to his sister who just rolled her eyes fondly. 

“Two Klingon vessels have entered the Neutral Zone and are locking their weapons on us.” Jace then said from his station, rolling his eyes less fondly than Izzy.

“Okay.” Alec said nonchalantly. 

“ _ Okay? _ ” Jace repeated incredulously. 

He knew his friend was being a pain in the ass, but the question was, why?

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” Alec said and smirked. 

“Three more warbirds are deglamouring and is now targeting our ship.” Jace continued. “I don’t suppose that’s a problem either?” 

“Nah.” Alec answered. 

“They’re firing, captain.” Another ‘officer’ said. 

“Alert medical bay. Tell them to prepare for the crew members of the damaged ship.” Alec said to his sister who widened her eyes. 

“Alec, are you kidding me? How do you expect us to rescue them when we are  _ surrounded _ by Klingons?  _ Captain _ .” She added with a pointed look. 

“Just alert medical, please.” He said. 

“We are hit. Shields are at 60%.” Jace said. 

“Okay.” Alec said with clear disinterest. 

“Well shouldn’t we, I don’t know? Fire back, maybe?” Jace asked and glared at Alec, he was losing his patience. 

“Nah.” Alec said. 

“Of course not…” Jace grumbled and turned back to his station. 

Then the bridge started to power down, all the screens were flickering for a few seconds. All the ‘officers’ looked around, and Alec just sat in the captain’s seat, smirking. After a while everything powered up again. 

“Arm the photons and prepare to fire on the Klingon warbirds.” Alec ordered and the ‘officers’ obeyed. 

“Alec, their shields are still up.” Jace exclaimed. 

“Are they though?” Alec asked and Jace double-checked. 

“Apparently not.” He grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Fire on all enemy ships!” Alec exclaimed happily, and they did. 

“All ships are now destroyed, captain.” An ‘officer’ said.

“Begin the rescue of the stranded crew.” Alec said as he got up from the chair and took a lap around the bridge. “So, we managed to not only to eliminate  _ all _ enemy ships, but we also successfully rescued the stranded crew from the USS Kobayashi Maru, with zero injuries. Good job everyone!” He said with a proud smile. 

✰✰✰

Later that day a meeting with all the cadets and commanders had been called in the great hall, and Alec sat next to Izzy and Jace, there mostly to see what the fuss was about. 

“This session has been called to resolve a troubling matter.” One of the people on the council said. “Alexander G Lightwood, step forward.” 

Alec gulped, he was  _ so _ busted. He stepped forward to a podium in front of the council. 

“Cadet Lightwood, we have received evidence suggesting that you have violated the ethical code of conduct in the Shadowfleet code. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” The councilman asked him. 

“Yes. I believe that I have the right to face my accuser directly.” Alec said, mostly to buy time to find a way out of this. 

A man stood up among the crowd, and Alec looked back to where he was standing. He was Vulcan, that much was obvious if judged by the pointy shape of his ears. He was extremely handsome, Alec thought. His eyes were lined with black kohl, and his hair had bright green streaks in them. Alec knew that Vulcans had an odd sense of fashion, but he had never seen one look so utterly gorgeous before. He was momentarily stunned, until he remembered that this was the man who had just accused him before this council. 

“This is commander Bane. He is one of our most distinguished graduates, and is the one who has been programming the Kobayashi Maru test for the last four years. Commander?” The councilman said again. 

“Cadet Lightwood. I do not know how, but you somehow managed to insert some form of subroutine into the simulation, altering its conditions.” The man, commander Bane said. 

Alec thought his voice sounded like honey, all smooth and warm. He quickly gathered himself and spoke. “Your point being?”

“In academic language; you cheated.” The councilman said. 

“Then let  _ me _ ask a question, and I think we all know the answer to this. The test itself is a cheat, is it not? It is  _ programmed _ to be unbeatable.” Alec argued. 

“It is a no-win scenario, if that is what you are asking.” Commander Bane argued back. 

“Yeah, well. I don’t believe in no-win scenarios.” Alec grumbled, though loud enough to be heard. 

“Then not only did you violate the rules, you also missed the whole point of the test!” Commander Bane said. 

“Which is?” Alec asked, pinning down Bane with a hard stare. 

“You of all people should know, cadet Lightwood, that a captain cannot cheat death.” Mr. Bane said and the silent hall filled with murmurs. Alec froze, he felt his heart pound in his ears. 

“I of all people…” He practically whispered. 

“Yes.” Bane continued, as he had heard his whisper. “Your father did assume command of his vessel before he was killed in action, did he not?” 

Alec scoffed. “I think that you just don’t like the fact that I beat your test.” 

“The test has a purpose. It is  _ supposed _ to make you experience fear, Mr. Lightwood. Fear in the face of certain death. To face that fear, and still maintain control over your emotions and your crew.” Alec scoffed at that but Bane continued. “This is a quality that every Shadowfleet captain must have.” 

“Excuse me sir.” A strange voice interrupted Bane’s little monologue, and Alec had never felt so grateful in his life. 

A man walked up to the councilman and whispered something in his ear. The councilman’s eyes widened and he stood up. 

  
“We have received a distress call from Vulcan. Since our primary fleet is otherwise engaged I hereby order all cadets to Hangar 1 immediately. Dismissed.” He said in a loud voice, and all of the cadets and commanders rose from their seats and made their way towards the door. This was  _ not _ a drill. 


	4. Maiden Voyage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to continue on this story, it's really fun to write! Hope you enjoy! :)

“Who is that pointy-eared bastard anyway?” Alec grumbled as Jace joined him in Hangar 1. 

“I have no idea, but I  _ like _ him!” Jace said in a teasing tone, making Alec scowl. 

“Yeah whatever… Let’s just see where they assigned us.” Alec said, pulling Jace along with him to where a commander was calling out various cadet names and ship names. 

“Cadet Lightwood, Isabelle, USS Stele!” The commander finished and Alec watched his sister walk away angrily. 

He thought his name was next but the commander just walked away. Alec ran after him. 

“Commander! You forgot to call my name!” He said and the commander just looked him up and down. 

“You’re on academic suspension, Lightwood.” He said. 

“What? Come on!” 

“No exceptions.” The commander said and walked away. 

“Dammit…” Alec muttered. 

Jace walked up to him. “I’m sorry, bro. I really need to go though.” 

“Yeah, I get it. Good luck, be safe.” Alec said with a forced smile. 

Jace clapped him on the shoulder and walked away, only to turn around and mutter something under his breath that sounded a lot like ‘damn Lightwoods’. 

“Come with me!” He said and dragged Alec off.

✰✰✰

“Mr. Bane!” Izzy called out and made the Vulcan stop in his tracks and turn around to face her.

“Yes, Ms Lightwood?” He asked. 

“Was I not your top student?”

“Yes, you were.”

“Have I not, on  _ multiple _ occasions demonstrated an exceptional aural sensitivity, and in your own words ‘an unparalleled ability to identify sonic anomalies in subspace transmissions tests’?” 

“Yes, you have.” 

“Then excuse my language, by why the  _ hell _ have I been assigned to the USS Stele and not the USS Institute?!” Izzy asked angrily and Bane sighed. 

“I was trying not to show favouritism, seeing as we are personal friends.” The commander admitted. 

“Magnus,  _ I am assigned to the Institute _ .” Izzy said in a voice that left no room for argument. Magnus knew it was a lost cause. 

“I believe that you are.” He said and changed the files on his holopad. 

“Thank you.” Izzy then said with a smile that dripped with sweetness. 

✰✰✰

“Can you tell me where we’re going now?” Alec asked Jace as the blonde sat him down on a stretcher. 

“Here.” Jace answered and started to fiddle with some different syringes. 

“The medical? Why?” Alec asked just as Jace injected him with some weird looking liquid. “OW!” He screamed. 

“Don’t be a baby. I’m doing you a favour.” Jace said and dragged him off again. 

“What did you do to me?!” Alec asked in alarm, rightfully so.

“I injected you with a vaccine against Melvaran mud fleas.” Jace told him calmly.

“You what?! Why?” 

“To give you the symptoms. You’re going to lose your eyesight in your left eye, and soon you’ll be breaking out in sweats. Oh, and you’ll get a really bad headache, too.” Jace explained as they made their way towards the shuttle to the USS Institute where Jace had been assigned. 

“This is what you call a favour? Why are we friends?” Alec asked while he started to feel every single symptom that Jace had just described. 

“Yeah, you owe me one.” Jace told him as they went to the right shuttle. 

They were stopped before they walked in however, a commander put his arm out in front of them. 

“He’s not assigned or cleared to go on the Institute.” The commander said. 

“Yeah, too bad. According to the medical code, the patient must travel with me or I have to stay with my patient. Now, I could stay, but will you be the one to tell captain Garroway why exactly the Institute left into a crisis without its senior medical officer?” Jace barked at the poor commander who gulped. 

“Right this way then.” He said and took his arm down. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought!” Jace barked again and dragged a sweating, pale Alec onto the shuttle. 

✰✰✰

Captain Garroway stepped onto the bridge of the USS Institute and sat down in the captain’s chair. Not long after Mr. Bane stepped onto the bridge and took his seat at his designated station. 

“Mr. Bane.” Luke greeted. 

“Captain Garroway.” Magnus greeted back. “Engineering reports are ready for launch, sir.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bane.” Garroway answered. He then addressed the whole bridge. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is our maiden voyage with the USS Institute, and our ship deserves a much finer christening than it will today, however, let’s get her back in one piece and we can deal with that then. Carry on.” 

“Thrusters are fired, we are now separating from the spacedock, sir.” The pilot, a young girl with curly hair, reported.

“Excellent.” The captain answered. 

“The fleet has cleared spacedock, all ships are ready for warp, captain.” She continued. 

“Set course for Vulcan.” Garroway said and glanced around at his officers, there were  _ a lot _ of new faces there. 

“Aye, captain.” The pilot said. 

“Maximum warp, punch it.” Garroway ordered. 

The pilot nodded and pushed the warp lever forward. They saw as all the others ships around them warped away, but they were standing at a complete still. The pilot looked around worriedly. 

“Lieutenant, where is our usual pilot?” Garroway asked, an amused smile tugging at his lips. 

The girl turned around with wide eyes. “He has lungworms, sir. I’m filling in. My name is Maia Roberts.” She said with a nervous look. 

“You are a pilot, right?” The captain asked. 

“Of course! I don’t know what’s wrong, let me just…” She trailed off, starting to fiddle around the different levers and buttons at her station. 

“Is the parking brake on?” Luke asked amused, causing the girl to chuckle. 

“No sir, I don’t know what’s wrong I just-”

“Did you disengage the external inertial dampener?” Magnus interrupted. 

Maia sighed and closed her eyes, how could she have missed that? She quickly disengaged it. “Ready for warp, sir.” She then said. 

“Let’s punch it.” Garroway said with a fond smirk. 

This time, when Maia pushed the warp lever forward, the ship jumped and was quickly in warp mode. 

“Spanish guy, what’s your name again?” Garroway asked the officer sitting next to the pilot. 

“Ensign Santiago, sir. Raphael Santiago.” He answered in a thick, spanish accent, looking back at the captain. 

“Raphael Santiago, begin a ship-wide broadcast of the mission please.” Garroway said and Raphael nodded. 

He put in the code, the computer not really understanding him with his thick accent, but after the third try, he was in. He started the broadcast. 

_ “May I please have everyone’s attention? At 2200 hours, an anomaly was detected in the Neutral Zone. According to the readings, it appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after, the Vulcan High Command sent out a distress signal to the Shadowfleet. They said that their planet was experiencing seismic activity. Our mission today is to assess the condition of Vulcan and if necessary, assist in evacuations of the planet. We should be arriving at our destination in 3 minutes. Thank you for your time.” _

✰✰✰

As soon as they were on the ship, Jace dragged Alec to the medical bay to relieve him of his symptoms. He threw Alec down on a stretcher and injected him with something that would take away his ‘disease’. 

“OW!” Alec called out again, and that’s when he heard the broadcast of the mission. 

_ “… a lightning storm in space…” _

“No…” He whispered. 

“What’s wrong buddy?” Jace asked with furrowed brows. 

“I need to find Izzy!” Alec exclaimed and ran to the nearest computer. 

He started to fiddle with the screen and put in a voice command. 

“Find cadet Lightwood, Isabelle!” He practically screamed into the computer, and soon after he got the location. 

He started running out of the medical bay, an unknowing Jace hot on his trails. 

“You need to keep your heart rate down! Alec!” The blonde called out after him, but Alec just ran. 

He knew what the lightning storm in space meant, it could only be one thing. There had been a lightning storm the day he was born, his mother had told him all about it. He ran faster, panic flaring up in his face, or were those hives? They itched like crazy! He ran all the way to communications, and he quickly spotted his sister. 

“Izzy!” He yelled, causing the woman to stand up from her station. 

“Alec? What are you doing here?” She asked in worry. 

  
“The transmission, from the Klingon planet! Who was responsible?!” He asked in a hurry. 

Izzy glanced over him and looked at Jace who was scanning her brother with some sort of medical equipment. 

“What’s wrong with you?” She asked in alarm. 

“Nothing, nothing! Wassesiomula?” He asked, suddenly being unable to speak properly. 

“What?” Izzy asked. 

“Wasseshipromula?” He tried again, but his tongue was completely numb. 

“Oh no, did you get numb tongue?” Jace asked and Alec nodded frantically. 

“I can fix that!” Jace exclaimed and injected him with yet another mysterious liquid. 

“OW! Wasse ship Romulan?” He asked again and this time his sister heard him clearly enough. 

“Romulan? Yes! How did you know?” She asked only to be pulled out of communications by her brother. “Alec, what are you doing?!” 

Alec grabbed her wrist and ran towards the bridge as fast as he could. Jace ran after them in panic. When they got there Alec ran onto the bridge without permission. 

“Captain Garroway!” He exclaimed, causing the captain to stand up in alarm. 

“Alec? What are you doing here?” He asked.

“We have to stop the ship!” Alec exclaimed, his speech finally back to normal. 

Luke sighed. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough excitement for one day?” 

“No, sir. You don’t understand. Vulcan is  _ not _ having a natural disaster! They’re being attacked by Romulans!” He yelled over the shouting voice of Jace telling him to calm down. 

“Romulans? Herondale, take him back to medical, I’ll deal with you later.” Garroway dismissed them but Alec refused to leave. 

“No, captain, that anomaly! It’s-” 

“You are not cleared to be on the bridge.” Mr. Bane interrupted. 

“Great, the pointy-eared bastard…” Alec muttered under his breath. 

  
“What was that, cadet?” Bane shot back. 

“Nothing, I’m sure you’re great, but right now I need to tell the captain-”

“Captain, this cadet is not cleared to be onboard, I can remove hi-”

“Yeah, just try me!” Alec snapped back angrily. 

The arguing quieted down so Alec continued, not breaking the eye contact he had with the beautiful, yet annoying commander. 

“That anomaly, that lightning storm in space, also took place on the day of my birth, 22 years ago. It was before a  _ Romulan _ ship attacked the USS Idris. It was a large ship with advanced weaponry that was never seen again after that day. Now, this ship attacked Idris in the edge of Klingon space, and at 2300 hours last night there was a distress call, there was an attack on 47 Klingon warbirds that were destroyed by Romulans. It was reported that these Romulans were on  _ one ship. _ One  _ large ship _ , sir.” Alec explained to Luke. 

Luke shook his head in disbelief. “How do you even know about this Klingon attack?” He asked, looking sternly at Alec who dropped his gaze from Bane to meet the captain’s eyes. 

“My sister was the one to pick up the distress call.” He told him. “We’re warping into a trap sir, set up by the Romulans. Please, you have to believe us.” 

“Isabelle Lightwood is unmatched in xenolinguistics, and the cadet’s logic is sound.” Bane helpfully added, which earned him a small smile from Alec. Maybe this Bane wasn’t so bad after all… 

“Scan Vulcan space and listen for any Romulan transmissions.” The captain ordered. 

“Sir, I can’t distinguish Romulan form Vulcan languages.” The communications officer said. 

“Lightwood, can you?” Garroway asked Isabelle. 

  
“Yes sir, I speak all three dialects.” She answered with a smile. 

When Isabelle was told to relieve the usual communicator on the bridge Alec felt pride bloom in his chest over his little sister. It was short lived, however, when the captain spoke again. 

“Shields up. Red alert.” Luke ordered and the officers obeyed. 

“Arrival at Vulcan in 5 seconds. 4, 3, 2, 1.” Maia said. 

When they went out of warp at Vulcan, the sight before them was one of horror.


	5. Falls and Losses

The other ships with cadets that had been sent before them were in pieces, fragments and scraps were floating all around them, and the captain ordered Maia around to avoid them while figuring out what to do about the situation. When they dodged a large piece of the USS Stele it scraped the roof of the institute and caused the vessel to shake. Everyone held on as they kept dodging pieces of ships to find a safe space to assess the situation. When they had a clear enough image in front of them, the whole crew went deadly silent. 

Before them was the largest ship they had  _ ever _ seen. It was black, and the vessel had rows and rows of sharp edges, making the whole ship look like the mouth of some sort of monster with razor teeth. It was the ship that had, in just minutes, destroyed all the other Clave vessels that were now floating around in pieces among them. They stood no chance of defeating these Romulans… 

“Sir, they’re locking their torpedoes on us.” Bane said. 

“Divert auxiliary power from port nacelles to forward shields!” Garroway ordered just in time before they were hit,  _ hard _ . “Maia, status report.”

“Shields are at 30% captain, we can’t take another hit like that!” Maia reported in panic. 

“Set up communications with the Clave!” Garroway barked and Isabelle complied. 

“I’m sorry captain. The Romulans seem to have lowered something into the Vulcan atmosphere. It looks like a drill of some sort. We can’t communicate or transport anything or anyone!” She told him apologetically. 

“Dammit.” Garroway muttered. 

They were bracing themselves for another hit as the Romulans locked their weapons on them again, when suddenly Isabelle spoke again. 

“Captain, they’re hailing us!” She said and swiped at her screen. 

The screen over the front window lit up, and there was a Romulan with intricate face tattoos. The whole crew was silent and waited for the captain to speak. 

“I’m captain Garroway for the USS Institute. To whom am I speaking?” He asked in a stern voice. 

“Hello captain. You can just call me Valentine.” The Romulan said.

“Well,  _ Valentine _ . What caused you to start a war against the Clave?” Garroway asked calmly. 

“Oh I have my reasons.” Valentine said cryptically. 

“Even so, does the Empire know what you’re out here doing?”

“No. Me, my crew, we… Stand apart from the Empire so to speak. I’m sure you understand, since you have a crew member that also stands  _ apart _ from this whole mess.” Valentine said with a smirk.

All the crew members looked around at each other in nervous glances. 

“Isn’t that right,  _ Bane _ ?” Valentine continued. 

All eyes were on the Vulcan. He looked as surprised as everyone else. He stepped forward and cleared his throat. 

“I do not believe you and I have met, and I certainly have no part in an act of war against the Clave.” He said, stoically as usual.

“No, we haven’t met. Not yet.” Valentine confirmed. “Although there is something I would like you to see.” 

“And what might that be?” Bane asked calmly. 

“Captain Garroway. As you know, you can neither transport nor communicate. We have weaponry that is unmatched to yours, as you can see by the rest of your ships. I would like you to take a shuttle and come aboard the Circle, so that you and I can have a little chat.” Valentine said, disregarding Bane. “Refusal would be… Unwise.” He finished and the screen died down. 

The bridge was eerily silent. That is, until the captain got up and Alec spoke. 

“Captain you can’t be serious, he’ll kill you!” He burst out. 

“I agree, going over seems highly illogical.” Bane said. 

“As cute as it is that you two finally agree on something, I’ve made my decision.” Garroway said sternly. “Now, does anyone here have skills in advanced hand-to-hand combat?” He asked, glancing around at his crew members. 

Maia raised her hand hesitantly. “I have, sir.” She said in a small voice. 

“Good. You come with me, Lightwood, Bane, you too.” Garroway said and walked towards the exit. 

“Which one?” Izzy asked.

“Alec.” Garroway responded and the called ones followed him out of the bridge. 

When they were outside they did a walk and talk of the plan. 

“We can’t communicate and we can’t transport because of that damn thing they sent down, so we need to disable it, that’s where you two come in.” Garroway said and pointed towards Alec and Maia. “You disable that drill, and the second we have coms up _you_ ,” he pointed to Bane, “contact the Clave and tell them what’s happening. Then you beam Maia and Alec back on the ship.” He finished. 

They all nodded. “What about you?” Alec asked. 

“You’ll have to come get me I guess. But stick to the plan! Oh, and Mr. Bane. You’re the captain now. And Lightwood, I’m promoting you to first officer.” Garroway said and stepped onto an elevator. 

“WHAT?” Bane and Alec burst out in unison, although one was happier than the other. 

“Captain you can’t be serious.” Bane then added and earned himself a glare from Alec. 

“I am, and  _ you’re _ the captain now.” Garroway said with a laugh. 

Alec and Maia stepped onto the elevator, and before the doors closed on a dumbfounded Bane, Garroway added, “Take care of the Institute, Bane.” 

When they stepped off the elevator they went to a shuttle where Garroway took the helm and Maia and Alec quickly dressed in the space suits and helmets for the mission, complete with backpacks and parachutes. Maia grabbed the explosives they were supposed to use and put her helmet on. 

“So, what are your hand-to-hand skills then?” Alec asked curiously. 

“Fencing…” She responded and Alec’s eyes widened. 

“Have you ever made this type of jump before?” He then asked and she shook her head. “Great, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” 

_ “Are you two ready?” _ They heard Garroway’s voice in the com. 

“As ready as we’ll ever be.” Alec responded. 

_ “Good. We’re approaching the drop zone, you have  _ one _ chance to land on that platform. Pull your shoot as late as possible, they may shoot at you. Remember that the Institute cannot beam you back until you destroy that drill. Good luck.” _

And with that, they were dropped into space, falling along the drill, heading towards a small platform where they could destroy it. Captain Garroway continued in his shuttle, headed for the Circle, the Romulans’ ship. 

✰✰✰

When the captain and the other two left Magnus headed back to the bridge. He sat in the captain’s chair and started to check on the updates and reports. 

“Medical, come in. Status report from the chief please.” He said into the com. 

_ “The chief is dead sir. This is Dr. Herondale.”  _ A voice told him. 

“Then you are now the chief medical officer, Mr. Herondale.” Magnus responded. 

_ “No shit.” _ Was all he got back. He ignored it and listened to the other reports. 

“The away team has now entered the Vulcan atmosphere.” Santiago reported. 

“Good. Keep tabs on their progress.” Bane ordered. 

_ “Alec to the Institute, we are currently 20,000 meters from the target.” _

_ “Maia to the institute, 10,000 meters.” _

_ “5000 meters.” _

_ “2000 meters, pulling the chute.”  _

“Alec has landed sir.” Santiago reported. “Romulans have entered the platform, they’re battling!” 

“Good, Ms Lightwood, how is it looking?” Bane asked. 

“Still nothing sir, everything’s still down.” She answered. 

“Maia has landed, they are still battling.” Santiago said. 

“Everything is back up, captain! They did it!” Izzy burst out happily. 

“Good. Santiago, run-” 

_ “Alec to the Institute, they just dropped something down the hole they drilled!”  _

“Santiago, run the gravitational sensors, now!” Bane ordered. 

“Oh no…” Santiago said, and the whole bridge went silent in anticipation. 

“What? What is it?” Bane asked, worry  _ almost _ seeping through his voice. 

“The thing that they launched, it’s a singularity that will…” Santiago trailed off, jaw dropped. 

“That will what? Speak Santiago!” Bane ordered. 

“It will create a black hole sir, right in the middle of Vulcan…” 

No one said anything, this wasn’t even supposed to be possible… Bane took in the information quickly and was the first one to speak. “How long do they have?”

“Minutos, sir.” Santiago told him with a sad expression and Bane’s eyes widened. 

“Lightwood, alert Vulcan Command Center, the whole planet has to be evacuated, NOW!” He ordered and ran towards the exit of the bridge. 

“Captain where are you going?” She asked in alarm. 

“There’s something I have to do.” Bane said, and with that, he was gone. 

_ “Hey can someone please beam us out of here?!” _ Santiago heard the voice of Alec. He sent the message down to transportations. 

✰✰✰

“Hey can someone please beam us out of here?!” Alec shouted through the comm. 

“Are they beaming us out?” Maia asked him in worry.

“Yeah, they should start any minute.” Alec assured her with a small smile. 

Maia returned the smile, but then the whole platform started to shake uncontrollably. Maia tried to keep her footing, but she couldn’t, and she was too close to the edge. Alec turned to her just in time to see her fall off the edge of the platform.

“They’re retracting the drill! Maia fell over the edge!” He shouted through the comm. 

_ “You need to stand still!” _ The voice from transportations was heard. 

“I’m going after her!” Alec announced, before plunging towards his fallen crew member. 

He saw her further down, she had flailed her arms and legs out to slow the fall, and he did the exact opposite to catch up to her. He got closer and closer, the wind screeching in his ears, but soon he had caught up to her and grabbed her tight. 

“Pull my parachute!” He yelled in her ear. 

It took her a second to hear him, but eventually she did just that. The parachute expanded, but the speed of their fall made the strings snap, and they kept falling at a dangerous speed, right towards certain deaths. Alec pulled Maia’s parachute, but nothing happened. 

“Mine broke in the landing!” She shouted, and Alec’s eyes widened in fear. 

✰✰✰

_ “We’re falling without a chute!” _ Santiago heard Alec’s voice over the comm.

_ “I can’t lock onto their signal, they’re moving too fast!” _ He heard the officer in transportations yell. 

Santiago viewed the process from his station, fear evident on his features. Then it hit him, he could do that manually. He shot up from his chair and rushed out of the bridge and down towards transportations. When he got there he pushed the officer working to the side and started to frantically press the different buttons on the screen. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I can do this!” He apologized to the officer he had pushed out of the way, who lay frozen on the floor beside him. 

He kept pressing buttons and locked onto their signal, then he pushed the big button and started to beam them from the fall. He just hoped that they hadn’t hit solid ground yet. That’s when the pad flickered with light, and down on it fell both Alec and Maia, still hugging tightly, a little worse for wear, sure, but alive. 

“Gracias a Dios…” Santiago breathed out and slumped in the nearby chair. 

That’s when Bane entered transportations. He stepped onto the pad and ordered Santiago to beam him down to the surface. 

“Are you crazy?!” Alec burst out. 

“No, I certainly am not crazy.” Bane answered matter-of-factly. 

“You can’t really be going down to the surface, why are you doing this?” Alec asked him.

“I have to evacuate the Vulcan High Council. They’re in the katric ark, beaming them out is impossible.” He explained. 

“Bane, please, it’s dangerous to go down there-” Alec argued but was cut off. 

“My parents are with them.” He said and locked eyes with Alec. 

That look left no room for argument, and Alec understood. He helped Maia to her feet and cleared the pad, then he watched Bane be beamed down to the surface of the planet.

Alec didn’t leave the transportations room. He couldn’t explain it, but he had a feeling he should be there when Bane got back. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say he was actually worried for the Vulcan. He waited for what felt like hours, but it was in fact just minutes, until Bane’s voice could be heard over the comm.

_ “Bane to the Institute. We’re outside, beam us up.” _

Santiago locked onto their signals, there were 8 of them. 

“Beaming you up.” He said and started the process. 

  
Alec observed the scene. One second, everything was fine, the next… Santiago was screaming in panic about ‘losing her’, and instead of 8 people appearing on the pad, there were only 7, and Bane standing there, arm out as if though he had been trying to catch something. Alec saw the sadness in his eyes, it was more emotion than he had ever seen from the Vulcan. He put 2 and 2 together when he looked at the other people on the pad, one older man with almost the same expression as Bane. The ‘her’ that Santiago had lost, and the  _ someone _ that Bane had tried to catch was Bane’s mother. He had just lost his mother.


	6. Feelings and Freezing Planets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I am so so sorry for the slow update. My vacation was unexpectedly cut short. Now that I know my schedule, I will be updating AT LEAST once a week, even more often if possible. Anyway, here's the latest chapter, enjoy! <3

Captain Garroway had left no word or indication whatsoever to if he were even alive, which meant that he was, at the moment, classified as a hostage of the Romulan Valentine. Fact. The Vulcan planet had been consumed by a black hole and did no longer exist. Fact. Estimated survivals was around 10,000, out of 6 billion… Among those who had died was his mother. Fact. Magnus was now the acting captain of the USS Institute. Fact. Half of him was now a member of an endangered species. Fact. 

The thoughts swirled in Magnus’ head. He tried to reach out to his logical side, the one that would prevent his emotions from consuming him. It was hard, and he wanted to cry. But since he was now a captain, at the moment at least, he could not lose himself to his emotions. It was now more important than ever that he stayed strong for not only his crew, but for the remaining Vulcans that had survived. Although, the logical thing was to take just 2 minutes to himself, to gather his thoughts and emotions, so that he could walk onto that bridge and assess the next move. So, he did just that. He found a private room and shut the door behind him. Then, he let the tears fall. He cried silently. He was interrupted however by the door opening behind him, it was probably Isabelle, she always worried too much.

“Hey, are you okay?” 

Magnus spun around. That was not Isabelle’s voice, but  _ Mr. _ Lightwood himself. He quickly wiped the tears off his face and turned around. 

  
“That’s a highly illogical question. One would assume that losing their mother and their planet all in a span of minutes would make that person  _ not _ okay.” He responded and looked at Alexander Lightwood. 

“I know, I’m sorry. I just… I’ve never seen you show any type of emotion before, I just wanted to check on you.” He said in a voice so gentle it actually shocked Magnus. 

“That’s very kind of you.” He said and cleared his throat. 

“Do you need anything? Just tell me if you do.” Alexander said, shocking Magnus yet again. 

He thought about it for a second, then he spoke. “I just need everyone to keep up their performance so that we can resolve the issue at hand.”

Alexander nodded once, and just when Magnus thought he was turning to leave, he instead strode up to him and embraced him in a tight hug. It startled Magnus, but after a moment he hugged back, it was the proper response to this human action after all. After a while Alexander let go, nodded once again, and exited the room. 

✰✰✰

“So, how the hell did they do that? How did they just create a black hole in the middle of a planet, out of nothing?” Jace asked the whole bridge in general.

  
“It was not out of nothing. Whatever they launched into the planet’s core created the black hole.” Bane helpfully added. 

“How did the Romluans get their hands on that kind of weaponry? It’s unheard of…” Alec thought out loud. 

“The question is less how and more why…” Maia pondered, and they all seemed to think about it. 

“Maybe they’re going after the Clave and the Shadowfleet, it would explain why they took Captain Garroway! He’s a captain, which means that he has access to all the codes!” Raphael exclaimed.

Isabelle started to tap away on her screen. “Affirmative. They are moving towards earth.” 

“That still doesn’t explain  _ where _ they got that kind of weaponry.” Jace added helpfully.

“I actually have a theory about that.” Bane said. “In theory, such technology  _ could _ be manipulated to create a tunnel in space time.” 

They all looked at him, some were confused and some looked shocked. 

“What are you saying, Mr. Bane?” Jace asked since no one else did.

“He’s saying they’re from the future.” Alec explained, the situation dawning on him. 

“Yes. And he sees to have some personal vendetta against me, or well, against a future me. That’s what he wanted to show me. The destruction of my home planet.” Bane then said, looking somber. 

“Meaning that Valentine’s presence has altered the future. He has created an alternate reality!” Isabelle burst out in realisation. 

“Yes. We’ll meet up with the primary Shadowfleet and gather our numbers.” Bane said and sat down in the captain’s chair. 

“What?! And leave Luke? That’s not happening.” Alec burst out. 

“We are alone, Mr. Lightwood. They have advanced weaponry. A rescue mission would be highly illogical.” Bane said and earned himself a glare. 

“Screw logic! We need to save Luke!” Alec burst out again, and it caused arguments among the other crew members as to if they should flee or stay. 

“ENOUGH!” Bane’s voice boomed throughout the bridge. When everyone quieted down he continued. “I am the acting captain of this ship, and we are gathering our numbers. Now, if you want to risk your life and try a rescue mission in the meanwhile, you are welcome to do so, Mr. Lightwood.” 

“And how exactly do you propose I do that by myself?” Alec asked incredulously. 

“That is not my concern. You do whatever you please, we are sticking to the plan.” Bane told him and locked their eyes. 

After a minute long staring contest Alec caved. “Unbelievable…” He muttered and exited the bridge. 

“Captain, are you sure you’re making the right choice?” Isabelle asked carefully. 

“Affirmative.” He responded and started to take reports. 

✰✰✰

“Drop me on Delta Vega.” Alec ordered when he was down in transportations. 

He climbed into a pod and readied himself to be launched down to the planet. He knew there was a Shadowfleet outpost down there, and he fully intended to seek help from them since he was getting none here. It wasn’t ideal, but he couldn’t just give up on Luke without even trying. He felt the launch, and then he was falling. 

When he landed on Delta Vega a few minutes later he pulled on a warm jacket and took some supplies. The computerized voice told him about the planet, even though he already knew it all.  _ Class M planet, unsafe. _ He pried the pod open and climbed outside. There was snow and ice everywhere, and it was currently wind howling in every direction, causing the snow too veil his sight. He could barely see his hand in front of him. He walked nonetheless, in the general direction of where the outpost would be. 

He walked for about an hour, shivering in the cold and grumbling to himself about Mr. Bane and his utter lack of care for other beings, before he heard a sound that wasn’t his own footsteps nor the howling wind. It came from behind him. He froze, then he slowly turned around, dreading the worst. When he looked back, there was a creature running towards him. At first it didn’t look so bad, it looked small and harmless, but the closer it got the bigger he could see it was. It had black and white fur, and arms like a gorilla. It ran on all four, and Alec could see its hind legs had huge claws. Then he saw the mouth and the sharp teeth that stuck out of it. The creature was  _ fast _ and advancing on him every minute. He started running.

He ran as fast as he could, not even caring about which way he was running anymore. He just needed to get away from the thing that was hunting him. When he stumbled over a block of ice and fell, he really thought he was done for. His heart pounded so hard he could feel the beats in his ears. He looked back just in time to see the creature run towards him, and then being attacked from underneath the earth by  _ an even bigger creature _ ! This one was furless and red, and it had spidery legs that it hoisted itself up from the ground with. Alec took this opportunity and got up and ran again. He didn’t even look back, because if he had nearly escaped the last creature, this one would catch up to him in no time at all. 

He saw a cave in the distance. If he was lucky maybe the creature wouldn’t fit in there and he could slide in. He heard the creature behind him, getting closer and closer. He heard the snapping of jaws just behind him. He was terrified. Why did he think this had been a good idea again? He got to the cave and slid inside, then he made the mistake of looking back. The creature was  _ not _ too big to fit in the cave. It easily slid through and crawled its way towards Alec, only to knock him backwards with one of its long legs. He flew into a wall and thought,  _ this is how I die. _ Then, suddenly, a man stepped over him and towards the creature. He waved a lit torch towards it, and it scurried away and out of the cave. So it was scared of fire, then. Good to know. 

The man helped Alec up and when Alec pulled away the hood of the jacket, the man froze for a second, before cracking up in a wide smile. Alec looked at the man. He was old and had gray hair, his pointy ears suggested Vulcan. He looked vaguely familiar… 

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood.” He said and smiled, and now it was Alec’s turn to freeze. 

“H-How do you know my name?” He asked in alarm, eyes wide. 

“Oh, I suppose you don’t know me, not this version of me anyway.” The old man said and seemed to be deep in thought. “My name is Magnus Bane.”

Alec widened his eyes and stared at the man. After a minute he found his voice.

“Prove it.” Alec said. 

“Very well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The old man said and walked up to Alec. 

He put his hand on the side of Alec’s head and stroked his finger on a spot behind his right ear. Alec immediately flared up, a blush colouring his cheeks. His breath hitched and his heart beat loudly in his chest. Then he pulled away in alarm. 

“What the hell?! Don’t do that!” He yelled. 

“You wanted proof.” The old man said. 

“That doesn’t prove that you’re Bane. That little piece of information, and I’m still not sure how you knew, is privy to my dates  _ only _ . Bane would never know that about me, we-we hate each other! Most of the time...” Alec said, eyes still wide in confusion and disbelief. 

“Fascinating…” 

“Why? Why is that fascinating?” 

“I am Magnus Bane. I am from the future.” The older Bane said.

Alec pondered the thought. It wasn’t impossible, especially not after the discussion on the ship. This could very well be a future Magnus. He did find him oddly familiar. 

“Say I believe you. What are you doing on Delta Vega? And how are you connected to Valentine?” Alec asked suspiciously. 

“So you know about Valentine? Have you had an encounter with him?” Bane asked.

“Yes. He is holding our captain hostage.” Alec answered. 

“You’re not captain? Of the Institute?” Bane asked in clear surprise. 

“No… Should I be?” 

“I think it’s best not to answer that right now. What are  _ you _ doing on Delta Vega?” He asked instead. 

“I’m looking for the Shadowfleet outpost. I need help to try and rescue captain Garroway.” Alec explained. 

“And  _ I _ am not there to help you?” 

“No.”

“A very curious reality indeed…” Bane said and put his chin between his thumb and index finger in thought. “I’d better tell you the whole story before you go through with your plan.” 

Alec sat down on the floor of the cave and waited. The future Bane did the same. 

“You see, in 129 years, there will be a star that will go supernova, threatening to destroy the galaxy. We got a distress call from Romulan who were near the location of the supernova. I promised that I would help them. The substance you saw Valentine use to create the black hole and destroy Vulcan was red matter, and it came from my ship. I used it to consume the exploding star, but I was too late. I saved the galaxy, yes, but before I could get to it, the supernova destroyed Romulan.” He said with a sad expression.

“I felt guilty, but I could do nothing about it. On my way back to Vulcan I was intercepted, by the vessel commanded by Valentine. You see, in the future, that ship is just a common mining ship, and he and his crew were off planet for work when this all happened. He blamed me for the destruction of Romulan, and rightfully so. The only problem was that during our fight, his ship got sucked into the black hole that consumed the star, and he ended up here.” He explained further. 

“Right by the USS Idris…” Alec muttered in realisation. 

“Yes. I found this out when I got here. I got sucked into the black hole mere seconds after Valentine, but I got here 22 years later, and by then Valentine was already waiting for me. He took my ship, including the red matter, and deserted me here on Delta Vega, so that I could see the destruction of my home planet, just as he had his.” Bane finished his story. 

“I’m so sorry…” Alec mumbled. 

“It’s alright, it’s not your fault. I was the one who was too late to save Romulan, so it is my fault that Vulcan was destroyed. The guilt will stay with me forever.” 

“First of all, it’s not your fault. You tried your best, and you even saved the galaxy! Second of all, I had no idea you could actually feel.” Alec added in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

“Oh, I feel. Vulcans can feel, it’s just deeply rooted. I am also not just Vulcan, I am half human too.” Bane said and looked a little amused. 

“What? I had no idea…” 

“Fascinating…” Bane said. 

“Why is this so fascinating? I’ll need an explanation. I also need to know how in the hell you knew about the ear thing. How  _ did _ we know each other in your reality?” Alec asked, exasperated. 

Bane turned around slowly and sighed, causing his shoulders to droop. He smiled to himself before he spoke.

“Alexander. In my reality, you were my husband.”


	7. New People and New Plans

“Captain, can I talk to you?” Isabelle asked Magnus. 

“Of course, Ms Lightwood.”

Magnus lead them off the bridge and out into the empty hallway.

“Permission to speak freely?” She asked.

“Granted.” 

“Why the hell would you send Alec off alone like that? He’s going to get himself killed!” She snapped.

“It was his own choice. I did not send him, I simply did not stop him.” Magnus defended.

“Same thing! Do you even care if anything happens to him?” She then asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Who am I kidding? Of course you don’t! Would you even feel bad if he died out there when you could have stopped it?”

“Of course I would feel bad.” Magnus burst out without thinking. There was a long pause then he continued. “He’s your brother. And you’re my friend.” 

Realisation dawned on Isabelle. She widened her eyes and her frown slowly turned into a wide smile. 

“Oh my God. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before!” She said.

“To what are you referring, Isabelle?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“You _like_ my brother!” Isabelle squealed. 

“He is _infuriating_. I would say that ‘like’ is not an accurate word to describe my feelings towards Alexander.” Magnus said and tried to hide his real reaction. 

“ _Alexander_ huh? You say whatever you want, Magnus. I’ve known you for years, I know when you’re crushing, and right now you’re crushing _bad_!” Isabelle said with a grin. 

“I’m sure I do not understand what you are talking about.” Magnus said and turned towards the bridge again. 

“Okay, be like that. But just for your information, my brother _does_ like men. Just saying.” Isabelle said with a wink, and then proceeded to walk onto the bridge, and if anyone remarked on the satisfied smirk tugging at Magnus’ lips, well he would just deny it. 

✰✰✰

After walking for what felt like hours in the freezing cold, Alec and future Magnus finally got to the Shadowfleet outpost where they hoped that they could find help with rescuing captain Garroway. It was a dark, damp hallway they stepped into, and Alec worried that the outpost might be abandoned. There wasn’t a soul in sight. 

“Hello?” He called out, carefully stepping further into the hallway while his voice echoed between the damp walls. 

“Hello!” A cheery voice called out. 

Alec looked around to try and find where the voice came from, and after a minute he saw a silhouette at the end of the narrow hall, and it was walking towards them. While the previous monster had looked bigger and bigger the closer it got, this silhouette seemed to be getting smaller. Alec followed its line of sight, and when it was close enough he saw that it wasn’t an it, it was a girl. A very short girl, she only reached about up to Alec’s elbows. She looked human enough, but she had greyish green deformations, almost like three horns, sticking out of her forehead, and the colour spread to her complexion down her face. She had fiery red hair and her eyes had no whites, they were completely black. She looked to be half human and half… Something Alec did not recognize. She seemed friendly though. 

“I’m Clary!” She said cheerily. 

  
“Alec.” He greeted. “And this is Magnus Bane.” 

“It’s nice to meet you! But, what are you doing here? I don’t mean to be rude but we don’t get a lot of visitors.” She said and tilted her head to the side. 

“We? So there’s not just you then?” Alec asked back. 

“No, but it is just me and Simon. I’ll take you to him.” She said and turned around, leading the two down the hallway. “I do apologize in advance. Simon’s usually very happy and cheery, like a puppy, but lately he’s been a bit on edge.” 

“Why is that?” Magnus asked curiously. 

“Well, we are exiled to Delta Vega on a ‘mission’ but we mostly just sit around doing nothing all day. We’ve been here for about 6 months.” Clary explained and they entered a larger room full of trinkets and machines, it looked like an engineering deck. 

She walked up to a man with dark hair and glasses, who was currently napping in a chair. She poked him lightly in the side, waking him. 

“What is it Clary?” He asked without opening his eyes.

“Si, we have visitors?” She said in an unsure tone. 

The man, Simon, shot out of his chair. He glared at Alec and Magnus. 

“It took you long enough! Are you finally busting me out of here then?” He asked. 

“Fascinating…” Magnus said and observed Simon like he was an exhibit at the zoo. 

  
“I’m sure I am, but this is still completely unacceptable. You strand me here for _6 months_ only to come in here to view me like some… Some…” He trailed off. 

“Okay, we don’t really have time for this. We need your help, I think.” Alec said and looked around. “Although I thought there’d be more people.”

“Well too bad, it’s only me and Clary. And why would we help you? It was Shadowfleet that put us here in the first place!” Simon burst out. 

“Well, not me personally. And we need help rescuing my captain.” Alec told Simon. 

“Well whatever gets me off this horrid planet. What’s the plan then?” Simon asked.

“Uhm, I, well, I don’t know yet. I haven’t really figured that part out.” Alec confessed.

Simon literally facepalmed. “Well that’s great then!” He said with voice dripping sarcasm.

“I hate to interrupt this interaction, but are you in fact Simon Lewis? _The_ Simon Lewis that hypothesized the theory of transwarp beaming?” Magnus asked the man who rolled his eyes.

  
“Yes, I’m that Simon Lewis, your point is?” Simon asked and crossed his arms over his chest.

“What are you doing here stranded on Delta Vega?” Magnus asked and tilted his head.

“Well, see, I had a _minor_ disagreement with my teacher. I told him that not only could I beam a fruit or a football from one planet to another one in the same system, I could do it with a life form, and he just laughed in my face.” Simon explained, a scowl on his face. “So I wanted to shut him up and I tried my theory on the Admiral’s beloved beagle.”

“Oh, I love that dog! What happened?” Alec asked. 

“I’ll tell you when it reappears…” Simon said and Alec’s eyes widened. 

“You… Okay. That explains the exile. But how do _you_ know him?” Alec asked Magnus. 

“Well. What if I told you that your hypothesis was right, and it is possible to beam onto a shadowship that is currently travelling in warp speed.” Magnus explained.

Simon scoffed. “Right. You don’t think I would have heard about it if that equation had been discovered? I might be in exile at the moment, but even out here news travels. What do you take me for?” 

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. The reason you haven’t heard of it yet, is because _you_ haven’t discovered it yet, Mr Lewis.” Magnus said with a smile. 

Simon’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Excuse me?” 

“You are the one that discovers it.” Magnus said. 

“Are you guys from the future?” Clary asked in equal shock. 

  
“He is, I’m not.” Alec said with a smirk. 

“Bullshit…” Simon said, jaw still unhinged. 

“I can prove it to you if you’d like. Is that your work station?” Magnus asked and pointed towards what looked like a large metal box with one sole entrance.

Simon just nodded and closed his mouth, walking towards the work station. He gestured the others to follow him which they did. When they were inside Clary climbed up on a rack of sorts made of metallic bars. Simon and Magnus sat down and Magnus started to write something onto a keyboard while Simon watched in astonishment. Simon suddenly got up from his seat and started pacing around the area. 

“So, even if I did believe this whole future thing, we’re still talking about beaming onboard a ship, while it’s travelling in warp speed, without a receiving pad… Am I missing something?” He started to ramble. “Do you have any idea how _impossible_ that is?! It would be like trying to hit a flying bullet with a live bee whilst riding a horse!!” 

“I think you’re being a little pessimistic there, Simon.” Alec said and smirked confidently. 

Simon walked over towards him. “It’s not being pessimistic, it’s being realistic! Clary get down from there before you hurt yourself!” He then exclaimed, chastising the redhead down from the rack. 

She just rolled her eyes and held her arms out to Alec who helped her down to the floor again. Apparently climbing up was easier than climbing down. 

“So the plan is to beam onto an enemy ship to rescue your captain and then what?” Clary asked curiously. 

“No, you have to beam onto the Institute.” Magnus said to Alec. 

“What? What’s the point in that? Magnus, I mean you, I mean _this_ Magnus is the one who let me come here to do this on my own. Why would he suddenly be interested in helping me now?” Alec asked incredulously. 

“You have to take command over your ship, Alexander.” Magnus simply responded.

“Well, it’s not _my_ ship, and there is no way Magnus is going to accept that. How do you suppose I could change his mind? Your mind?” Alec asked him expectantly. 

“There is one thing you could do, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.” Magnus said and raised an eyebrow. 

He walked over and put his hand on Alec’s face, one finger above his eyebrow, one below his eye, and one below his lips. Alec’s eyes flashed for a second before he was pulled into an image.

✰✰✰

_Magnus and Alec lay in bed, cuddling. They looked to be in their twenties, the same age they were now, in this reality. They looked happy, content. Magnus had his arm wrapped around Alec and Alec was leaning his head on Magnus’ chest, arms slung around his waist._

_“Hey Mags?” Alec said in a low murmur._

_“Yes, Alexander?” Magnus asked in a slightly more stoic voice, but there was still emotion in it._

_  
_ _“I love you.” Alec said._

_Magnus didn’t say anything for a while, and Alec started to feel a surge of panic, thinking that he may have said it too soon, or maybe Magnus wasn’t feeling the same way. Did half Vulcans feel it much later? Or was it him who had read the signals wrong? Alec’s thought were disrupted by Magnus clearing his throat._

_“Alexander, you make me happy. You make me feel deeply for you. I can with certainty say, that I love you too.” He said, and this time his voice was very emotional._

_Alec smiled to himself. “Aww, you’re such a sap!” He exclaimed happily and looked up at Magnus who looked right back at him._

_They kissed tenderly and slowly, savouring the moment. They were truly happy._

✰✰✰

“Whoah.” Alec said when he got back to reality. “Was that a memory?” 

“The first time my Alexander and I said ‘I love you’ to each other. Perhaps that will convince him to trust you enough to follow your plan. You just have to get him to make you show him that memory the way I just showed you.” Magnus explained with a small smile. 

“Okay, not the easiest thing to do, but not the hardest either…” Alec said and furrowed his brows. “So, Simon, you’re ready?” 

“Definitely. Live or die, let’s try this!” Simon exclaimed happily. 

Well that didn’t make Alec any less nervous… But he oddly enough trusted Simon to get them through this, or well, he trusted future Magnus who trusted this person, so close enough. They took their positions where they were beaming from, but before they started Magnus spoke.

“Oh, and Alexander. Under no circumstance can your Magnus know about my existence. It’s too dangerous.” He said. 

“What? Then how do I explain that memory?!” Alec burst out in disbelief. 

“You’ll figure something out, I’m sure.” Magnus said and winked at him, to which Alec scowled. 

“You know, going back in time and change stuff like this, that’s cheating.” Alec said with a smile tugging on his lips, thinking about the squabble over the Kobayashi Maru test. 

“Something I learned from my husband.” Magnus said with a fond smile. 

Clary climbed into the beaming rig with Simon who shooed her out. 

“You can’t come with me, Clary.” Simon said with an apologetic look. 

“Why not?” She asked and gave him the puppy eyes, or well, it was hard to tell with the all black eyes but it looked sad.

“What if something happens to you? I won’t risk that. I’ll be back before you know it.” Simon said and gave her a hug and a kiss on the head. 

“I’ll keep you company biscuit.” Magnus said and took Clary’s hand in his. 

“Ready?” Simon asked Alec as they took their positions again. 

“Ready.” Alec answered. 

There was a swirl of light, and then they were gone.


	8. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely forgot to post this chapter, I'm so sorry guys!!

“Sir, there is something happening on the engineering deck.” Raphael told Magnus.

“Specify please.” Magnus said.

“Uhm, I’m really not sure. It looks like someone beamed onboard.” Raphael said and scratched his head in confusion.

“In engineering? Are you sure?” Magnus asked, attention now fully on Raphael. 

“Yes sir.”

“But we’re travelling at warp speed. That’s not possible…” Maia said. 

“Well, pull up the surveillance, Mr Santiago.” Magnus ordered and Raphael complied. 

The screen lit up so that everyone could see. The footage showed  _ Alexander _ standing in front of one of the water tubes down in engineering. He was flailing his arms about in panicky gestures, it honestly looked amusing. That is until they saw why he was panicking. Inside the large tube filled with water was another man, trapped, drowning. Magnus’ eyes widened in realisation. 

“Ms Lightwood, Mr Santiago, follow me.” He said and hurried off the bridge, running for the engineering deck with the other two officers trailing behind him. 

When they got to engineering Alexander had moved to a nearby control pad and was frantically pushing buttons to try and release the man somehow but was failing. Magnus walked over and pushed him aside. He pressed the buttons needed and the water inside of the tubes started to flow, the current taking the man with it. 

“What are you doing?!” Alexander called out in shock. 

“I’m saving him.” Magnus calmly replied.

“But he’s heading right towards the water turbine!” Izzy exclaimed and watched the scene before her in terror.

“I am well aware.” Magnus said, following the man with his sight as he was dragged along inside the tube, face starting to turn purple from lack of oxygen.

“Oh, well that’s great! He’ll get slized to bits but as long as you’re  _ aware _ !” Alexander said in anger and frustration. 

“Honestly, cabrón, have a little faith.” Raphael said with a smirk, and Magnus smiled because Mr Santiago understood what he was about to do. 

When the man in the tube passed a certain part of the pipe, Magnus slammed a button and the pipe opened up, spitting out the man and some of the water right onto the floor before closing again. Magnus turned off the current inside the pipes and turned towards Alexander. 

“You don’t have to have faith, but your logic could use some work.” He said and Alexander scowled at him. 

The man on the floor coughed and gasped for air, his face slowly turning back to a normal colour. Alexander ran over to him and clapped him in the back. 

“And who might you be?” Magnus asked curiously.

“Lewis sir, Simon Lewis.” The man coughed out.

“So, Simon Lewis, Mr Lightwood, does anyone want to tell me what is going on here?” Magnus asked and crossed his arms over his chest. 

✰✰✰

“So… You actually managed to beam onto a shadowship that was travelling in warp speed?” Maia asked in astonishment. 

“Yep.” Simon said and nodded in confirmation. 

“Without a receiving pad?” Raphael asked.

“Not my brightest idea, but yes.” Simon nodded again. 

“Why?” Izzy asked and looked at her brother.

“Well… We came back for reinforcement, we still need to save captain Garroway.” Alec said and looked at Magnus. 

“This discussion has already been had, Mr Lightwood. We are regrouping, not going on a suicide mission.” Magnus said sternly. 

“I know what you said, okay? But it’s not a suicide mission, and we still need to save him! We’re wasting precious time arguing about this!” Alec exclaimed in frustration, because really, Magnus was  _ so frustrating _ . 

“I also know what you said prior but this discussion ended then. We have no new information that would tip the scales in the argument and therefore the same conclusion remains.” Magnus said calmly. 

“God, Magnus why can’t you just trust me on this?!” Alec asked and locked eyes with the acting captain. 

“Trust you? Nothing you have done so far has led me to the conclusion that you can be trusted.” Magnus said.

“I was right about the attack, wasn’t I?” Alec shot back. 

“Yes, and I was at a disciplinary meeting about you cheating on the Kobayashi Maru test, so I suppose that evens it out and thus leaves me with the same conclusion.” Magnus shot back. 

“A meeting that  _ you _ called!” Alec burst out in disbelief. 

“That is hardly relevant.” Magnus said. 

“Oh for the love of…” Alec trailed off as he strode over to Magnus with his hand out. 

Everyone around them jumped to get between the two arguing men, but before they could it was clear that Alec was  _ not _ going to hit Magnus as they originally believed. He placed his hand on the acting captain’s face, one finger above his eyebrow, one below his eye, and one below his lips. He watched as the memory he’d been given by the future version of Magnus flashed in this Magnus’ eyes. Then he waited until Magnus blinked furiously before he pulled away. Everyone around them just stared in shock or confusion. The bridge was completely silent before Magnus spoke. 

“You… You’re not supposed to be able to do that.” He said, avoiding looking into Alec’s eyes. 

“It was a one time free pass.” Alec explained calmly. “Now do you trust me?” He asked.

Magnus slowly lifted his eyesight and met Alec’s eyes. He watched him suspiciously but didn’t answer the question. 

“Okay, what just happened?” Jace asked, looking between the two men. 

“Alec just performed a Vulcan mind meld… Only Vulcan’s are supposed to have that ability…” Izzy explained, eyes not leaving her brother. 

“Oh… So, what now?” Jace asked again. 

Alec looked at Magnus challengingly. “Yeah, Bane. What now? Do you trust me?” 

“Future or alternate reality?” Magnus asked, eyes locked with Alec’s. 

“Future.” Alec lied. 

Magnus’ eyes widened, but he knew what his answer was. Without looking away from Alec he spoke. “Lieutenant Roberts, change our course. We’re going back.” 

Alec let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Magnus.” He said. 

“Don’t thank me yet. I still believe this is a suicide mission. Thank me if we make it out alive.” Magnus said and walked off the bridge, leaving everyone in either shock, disbelief, or worry. 

✰✰✰

Magnus slammed the door to his quarters behind him only for it to open again. He turned around to slam it again but stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that it was Alexander who had reopened it. The sight of the taller man infuriated him, but he tried to keep his emotions in check. 

“Magnus, I-”

“Don’t.” Magnus interrupted the first officer. He turned around, his back towards Alexander and took a deep breath to calm himself. “I don’t want to hear you excuses. And I’m not going to question how you got ahold of a future memory, because I already have my suspicions.” He finished.

He could hear Alexander shuffle on his feet behind him, a nervous habit if anything. Magnus let the silence fill the room, he was done with this conversation. He needed to clear his head and get back to the bridge, but it seemed Alexander had other plans. 

“What are your suspicions, then?” He asked in a careful voice, something that actually took Magnus by surprise. 

“Well, you certainly know how to make a statement. You knew exactly what it took to manipulate me to get your way. You played on my fear of never being able to show emotion, let alone  _ love _ . Something that because of my Vulcan heritage is one of my best kept secrets, something I have not shared with anyone. Which means that the only one who would know what buttons to push to get me to do just about anything, including going on a suicide mission, would be… Me.” Magnus explained and turned to look at Alexander. 

Alexander said nothing. He just processed the confession he’d just gotten out of Magnus. When he did manage to get all of his thoughts into a somewhat coherent order, he asked. 

“Is that why you’re upset?” 

Magnus almost flinched at the word. Apparently, he was not as good as he had hoped at hiding his emotions, not from Alexander anyway. A thought occurred to him, two could play at that game.

“Upset is not the word I would use. I am more curious, if anything.” Magnus responded, and his words seemed to make something shift in the room. 

“Oh.” Alec let out, looking at Magnus with wide eyes, something other gleaming in them. “Curious… About what exactly?” 

Magnus stepped a little closer. “Well…” He said and took another step so that he was now standing so close to Alexander that he could feel the first officer’s breath on him, or well, lack thereof. He felt Alexander’s body heat radiate and touch his own, but they didn’t physically touch.

He could hear Alexander’s breath hitch in his throat and he could hear the gulp as he swallowed nervously. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and Magnus could swear he felt Alexander tremble just slightly at their close approximation. He smiled to himself before he finished his sentence.

“I’m curious about what in the universe could ever possess me to love you.” He whispered, barely audible, purposefully letting his lips brush on the shell of Alec’s ear, before he stepped past Alexander and opened the door, leaving his quarters. Alexander stayed where he stood, completely frozen with his mouth open. Yes, two could definitely play at that game. 


	9. Time To Go

The thoughts swirled in Magnus’ head. He hadn’t really had time to process all of this new information before Alexander Lightwood had so annoyingly stormed into his room after him when he had tried to compose himself. Magnus knew how to deal with curve balls thrown his way, he had trained all his life to stay composed and push everything away and then deal with it later, all to keep his mind clear and focused at the task at hand. But this… Never had he felt the need to actually take a few moments to himself in order to gather his thoughts like this. This was a slower process, and he wasn’t sure  _ why. _

But he did what he always did, he lined up his thoughts inside of his head, separating them from each other, and then thought about possible solutions or conclusions for each and every one of them. They had changed their plans and were going after Valentine. Fact. How would they succeed? Something they needed to discuss together as a crew. It had to wait a few minutes. Next thought. Alexander had somehow managed to get ahold of a glimpse from the future,  _ and _ perform a Vulcan mind meld. Fact. This he already had his suspicions about, although he couldn’t be sure, Alexander had never denied them. Which only brought up more questions. Had Alexander really met the future Magnus? And why would he send Alexander to himself to show that memory? What was the play here? Okay, no. Best to file that away for later. Next thought… 

Had he really just admitted his deepest insecurity to a man he barely knew? A man so maddening it made his blood boil? Why had he done that? This too, he had his suspicions about. There was something about Alexander that Magnus couldn’t really pinpoint. It was the same thing that had caused Magnus to change his decision about turning the shadowship around. Perhaps Isabelle hadn’t been too far off? Magnus quickly shook his head at that thought, because that too was something he had to file away for later in order to focus at what was about to happen.

Before he knew it, Magnus was standing outside of the bridge, mentally preparing himself to get back in there and come up with a solid plan for the mission. He was just about to step inside when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around and came face to face with his father. 

“Magnus. We need to talk.” He said, looking at his son with the typical stoic expression of Vulcans.

“What about, father?” Magnus asked curiously. 

“News travels fast on this ship, you should know. I heard that there was a change of plan, and that we’re turning back. Care to explain?” His father asked him.

“I’d rather not.” Magnus admitted and looked down at his feet.

His father looked at him, trying to decipher his son’s features. 

“Very well. But Magnus, this is not the time to conceal emotions. You mother would have wanted you to speak your mind in a time like this.” He said after a minute.

Magnus felt guilty. He knew that that would be exactly what his mother would have wanted. She always encouraged Magnus to share his feelings. He contemplated the level of honesty to take with his father, and decided that the more honesty at a time like this, the better. He sighed.

“I was given a glimpse of the future, father. A future that scared me.” He admitted, looking at his father. 

“Oh? What was it that scared you my son?” His father asked with a look of concern.

“A feeling so deep and rare I always assumed I would never feel it.” Magnus said.

His father looked down at the ground, seeming to weigh his next words carefully. 

“Magnus. You once asked me why I married a human, why I married your mother. Do you remember that?” He asked his son who nodded in response. “Well, although I am Vulcan, logic had nothing to do with it. I married your mother because I  _ loved _ her.” 

Magnus’ head snapped up and he looked at his father with a mixture of shock and awe. Suddenly, the feeling didn’t seem that far fetched. Maybe, just maybe, the possibility of that future he had seen before his eyes wasn’t as small as he had once thought it to be. 

✰✰✰

“We can’t just go in, guns blazing, you know that right Alec?” Jace asked the first officer rhetorically.

“That’s not what I’m saying, Jace, okay? I just-” Alec defended, but fell silent as the door to the bridge opened and Magnus walked inside. 

“Captain.” Jace greeted with a nod. 

“Doctor.” Magnus greeted back. “So where do we stand on the plan?” He then asked, turning his attention to Alec. 

“Well, Lightwood here-” Jace started but was silenced by a glare from the first officer.

“We’ve got nothing.” Alec finally admitted. 

Magnus sighed and seemed to go into deep thought. “I see.” He said eventually. 

“Okay, let’s start with what we need to do.” Izzy said.

“We need to save captain Garroway.” Alec said immediately. 

“And stop the drill from being extracted into the earth’s core.” Magnus added.

“Or take away their ability to cause the planet to implode.” Izzy cut in.

“But how do we do that? We don’t even know  _ how _ they did that, we don’t know what it was they dropped into the hole in Vulcan.” Maia said a little unsurely. 

“Red matter.” Alec said. 

“I’m sorry?” Magnus asked, eyes widening as he looked at Alec. 

Right, he had forgot about that part of the story, or well, avoided it in favour of not slipping up about future Magnus. Oh well.

“My  _ connection _ on Delta Vega told me that the thing Valentine dropped into Vulcan was red matter, that is what was used to create the black hole.” Alec said and looked Magnus in the eyes. 

“Oh t'nash-veh Oekon…” Magnus exclaimed. 

Alec looked to Magnus in surprise. He had never heard him speak Vulcan before, but he had to admit, it sounded… Alluring. He quickly cleared his throat and spoke. 

“I’m sorry I left that out earlier, it must have slipped my mind.” He said carefully. 

“ _ Slipped your mind?! _ ” Jace burst out in disbelief. “We have been wondering how on earth they did that this whole time, and you just  _ now _ decide to share that information with us?” 

“Okay, boys! Breathe, we know now, that’s what’s important.” Izzy interrupted them before things got too heated. “Did any of you make the connection between these things? Saving our captain and stop Valentine from destroying earth. What do these two things have in common?” She then asked, looking between Magnus, Alec, and Jace. 

Magnus was the one to answer. “We need to get onto their ship to do both.” He said.

“And how do we do that? We won’t even be able to get close without them detecting us, and with their fire power we won’t last a minute in their proximity.” Maia said with furrowed brows.

“I actually have an idea about that.” Raphael spoke for the first time. 

Alec and the others looked at him expectantly. 

“The Circle’s route shows that they are going to pass by Saturn on their way to earth. Now, if we time it right, we could drop out of warp behind one of Saturn’s moons, maybe Titan, then the magnetic distortion from the planet’s rings would make us completely invisible to their ship’s sensors.” Raphael explained. 

“Oh, that’s right!” Simon burst out in glee. “And as long as the drill is not activated, we can beam onto the Circle!” 

“Right!” Raphael agreed and shot Simon a toothy grin. 

Magnus seemed to contemplate it, and Alec thought it sounded way to good to be true. He looked over at Jace who seemed to share his doubts. 

“How old are you anyway?” Jace asked Raphael. 

“I’m 17, sir!” Raphael responded with a wide smile. 

Jace’s eyes widened, then he looked over to Alec. “He’s 17…” He failed to whisper, causing Raphael’s smile to falter. 

“Nevermind that, he is right. This might work.” Magnus said, waving off Jace’s concerns. 

“Then we need to work out the details, and who’s going.” Izzy said and both Alec and Magnus spoke at the same time. 

“I’m going.” 

“You can’t go, we can’t lose two captains in a day.” Alec argued. 

“I see your point, but Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. You need to know the language to operate the ship’s system, we need the system to find our way. So either I go, or your sister. Who’s it going to be?” Magnus asked him and raised a challenging eyebrow. 

“I see your point.” Alec parroted with a scowl. “But I am going with you.” 

“Very well.” Magnus said. 

✰✰✰

Alec was still upset with Magnus about what had happened in his living quarters. Not only for how his body had reacted to Magnus’ closeness, but also because of the words that had come out of the Vulcan’s mouth. The words had cut into him deeply, although he wasn’t really sure why. For whatever reason, the whole encounter had left him feeling vulnerable, and not in a good way. But, for the sake of the mission, he chose to ignore those feelings momentarily so that he could focus solely on rescuing captain Garroway and save earth. The stakes were high, and everyone was counting on him and Bane to succeed on their end. 

He was standing on the transportation pad, waiting for everything else about the plan to align before he could do his part. He glanced over at Magnus who stood in a wide stance, hands clasped behind his back. He looked determined. Alec listened to Simon communicating with the others on the bridge. 

“We’re in position behind Titan. Nice job, Roberts!” He exclaimed happily. 

Alec took a deep breath and readied himself. He patted his side to make sure he was armed and relaxed a bit when he felt the gun in its holster. 

“The Circle is located…” He trailed off, holding his comm to his ear. 

Alec cast another glance at Magnus, searching for any sign of nervousness. When he couldn’t find one, he averted his gaze in front of him.

“And we’re clear! Alec, Magnus. I’m going to beam you onto the Circle now. If the ship has any common sense to their design, you should land somewhere in the cargo bay, there shouldn’t be a soul in sight.” 

“Copy that.” Alec responded.

“Mr. Lewis.” Magnus said, looking at Simon.

“Yes?”

“If the Institute ever has the tactical advantage, you fire onto the enemy ship. Regardless if we’re still on it or not.” Magnus said in a determined yet stoic voice. 

“Captain?” Simon asked in surprise. 

“That’s an order.” Magnus cut him off before he could say anything else. 

Simon merely nodded. Alec gulped and took a last deep breath before the familiar swirl of lights surrounded him and Magnus. When the swirling died down and the new surroundings came into view the only thing Alec saw at first was darkness, very fitting for a cargo bay. But when his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could see clearly what was around them, a dozen pairs of shocked eyes were staring at him and Bane. _Oh fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh t'nash-veh Oekon = Oh my God


	10. Romulans and Rescue Missions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The delay is finally over and I am finally ready to start posting again!   
> I have received a few comments on both this and other stories, and I just wanted to thank you all for your support!   
> You guys have truly been amazing <3 
> 
> So, chapter 10, here goes...

“Oh fuck…” Alec breathed out when he saw a dozen Romulans staring at him and Bane.

“Duck!” Magnus called out as he raised his gun in Alec’s direction and proceeded to shoot a Romulan behind him as Alec crouched down on the ground.

Alec quickly drew his own gun, firing at the enemy. When the first wave of attacks was over Alec grabbed ahold of Magnus’ shirt and pulled him down behind a pipe to assess the situation. He looked over the pipe and fired as he saw Romulans running around. He shot an enemy and then another one as Magnus searched for a control pad or  _ something _ that would grant them access to the location of the red matter or captain Garroway. 

“Anything?” Alec shouted over the sound of lasers flying through the room. 

“No, the ship does not seem to have any control pads, at least not here. I need another alternative.” Magnus responded.

“Like what?” Alec asked him and fired at another Romulan. 

Magnus thought for a bit. “I need to get close to one of them.” 

“How close?” Alec asked, brows furrowed. 

“I need to perform a Vulcan mind meld.” Magnus said and looked at the first officer. 

Alec’s eyes widened. “Seriously?!” 

Alec then switched his gun from ‘kill’ to ‘stun’ and shot at every Romulan he could see. Magnus did the same and after a few minutes of firing back and forth the deck went silent, the only sounds being Magnus’ and Alec’s heavy breathing. Alec listened after any hint of conscious Romulans, but after a while of silence he deemed it safe enough. 

“I’ll cover you, find one and let’s do this.” He said and Magnus nodded shortly before running out from behind the pipe to the nearest Romulan that was not yet dead. 

Alec watched as he put his hand on the Romulans face and closed his eyes. He slowly followed Magnus, still crouching and gun at the ready. When he was almost at Magnus’ side he heard a sound from his other side and fired, but he missed. The Romulan that was closing in had his gun raised directly at Magnus, and Alec, without thought, jumped in front of Magnus as the Romulan fired his gun and felt a searing pain in his shoulder. He hit the ground and quickly raised his own gun, firing and hitting the Romulan in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. 

“Alexander!” Magnus called out in shock. 

“I’m fine.” Alec assured him but winced as he was getting up. 

“What were you thinking?!” Magnus asked him with wide eyes as he ripped Alec’s shirt apart to see the damage of the gunshot.

“He was going to shoot you while you were doing your mind thing, what was I supposed to do?” Alec asked in annoyance. 

“Logically speaking-” Magnus started but was interrupted. 

“Screw logic. You could just say thank you, you know?” Alec bit out.

Magnus looked at him with a tensed jaw before he went back to inspecting Alec’s wound. 

“The damage is quite severe, but I’m afraid I can’t do anything about it at the moment. If you can bite through the pain perhaps Dr. Herondale can take a look once we get back.” He said instead. 

“I told you I’m fine. Did you get the location of the red matter?” Alec asked him as he pulled at his shirt. 

“And captain Garroway, let’s go.” 

✰✰✰

Isabelle was pacing the bridge, trying to ignore the deafening silence that hung in the air. She was worried about her brother and her friend, but could do absolutely nothing about it, and it frustrated her to no end. 

“They’re lowering the drill towards the earth’s surface, we’re going to lose communication and transportation soon.” Maia informed the rest of the crew. 

Isabelle bit her nails anxiously and took her seat at her station to keep tabs of the communications. 

“And there it goes.” Maia continued. 

“Looks like Bane and Lightwood are on their own now…” Raphael said, and Isabelle felt a lump in her throat. 

✰✰✰

After running around the ship for what felt like hours they were getting closer to the Circle’s actual cargo bay where the ship with the red matter was located. Alec’s shoulder ached with pain, but he bit through it. To focus his mind on something else he decided to fill the silence between him and Magnus. 

“So, are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” He asked.

Magnus looked at him with furrowed brows. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. What elephant?” 

“Seriously? You must be familiar with that expression?” Alec shot back in disbelief.

When Magnus just looked at him he rolled his eyes and continued. “Are we ever going to talk about what’s wrong?” 

Magnus averted his eyes and kept walking, picking up the pace.

“Captain please.” Alec continued, but when he still got no answer he raised his voice. “Magnus!”

Magnus stopped dead in his tracks, quickly making sure that Alec’s voice hadn’t caused any ruckus. “This is not the time, nor the place to discuss this.” He hissed.

Alec lowered his voice as well. “You know what? This might be the  _ only _ time to talk about this, so please.” He looked at the acting captain with pleading eyes. 

Magnus sighed and continued walking. “You know, for someone so smart, you act exeptionally stupid sometimes.” 

Alec smiled. “You think I’m smart, huh?” He asked with a wide grin, only for Magnus to pull him down by his shirt behind a metal crate. 

They watched as a pair of Romulans ran past them, looking around the cargo bay. Once they were gone Magnus rose to his feet and looked at Alec.

“Instead of asking me what is wrong, which at the moment is just short of  _ everything _ , you should have maybe asked me what I felt. Because believe it or not, I actually do have feelings. Feelings I have told you about no less, even though I still am unsure why I even did.” Magnus told Alec in a stern voice before he turned on his heel and kept walking. 

Alec was quick to follow. Magnus had already made it to the ship with the red matter when Alec caught up with him. “I’m sorry, Magnus. How do you feel then?” He asked. 

“Don’t mock me, Lightwood.” Magnus snapped back.

“I’m not!” Alec was quick to interject. “I am honestly asking you, how do you feel?” 

“What do you think I feel?! After losing my mother and my planet, everything with you! It’s too much.” Magnus burst out before boarding the small ship that was parked in the cargo bay. 

“I would imagine that you feel grief, anger, sadness. But everything with me? I can’t really answer that, because I don’t know! One minute we’re fighting, the next we get along fine, then there’s the whole thing that took place in your quarters, Magnus I don’t know. What do you feel about us?” Alec asked in exasperation. 

“I FEEL CONFUSED!” Magnus yelled. He had turned around inside the ship and was pinning Alec down with his stare. They stood like that for a moment or two, before a computerized voice broke the moment. 

_ “Voice recognition successful. Welcome back, Ambassador Bane.” _

Magnus froze. Alec froze. But they both did so for completely different reasons. 

“I can expl-” Alec started but Magnus cut him off. 

“See what I mean? How am I not supposed to be confused? It is what you said, we go from not standing each other to being friendly only to end up in some sort of limbo between the two, and you did not make it any better by showing me a supposed future memory of mine where we are apparently lovers? Do you understand how incredibly selfish that was of you?”   
  
“Selfish? How was tha-”

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know what I am referring to! You somehow got a hold of that memory and used it to manipulate me into agreeing to your dangerous and suicidal plan which we are currently executing!” Magnus cut him off once again.

Alec huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I think you’re overreacting.” 

“Overreacting?! Are you implying that I am letting my emotions control my actions? Because if so, I think you are being extremely hypocritical.” Magnus snapped back. 

“Yeah maybe I am! But so are you! You’re acting like I am the only one toying with the other’s emotions when in fact, you are no better yourself.” 

“What do you mean?”

  
“In your quarters. Why would you say that to me? Was it just to piss me off? Or was it just to shut me up when you knew that I was getting too close to the truth, that you actually do have feelings and that you’re scared of them?! Is that why you felt the need to string me along only to shut me down, because that…”

Magnus blocked out the rest of Alec’s angry monologue. He heard noises outside. 

“Alec…”

“And you didn’t even apologize! I mean…” Alec continued to rant in a raised voice, making Magnus’ heart beat rapidly in his chest. 

“Alec!” Magnus hissed but Alec just kept on ranting about Magnus and what had happened in the living quarters. Magnus heard the noises come closer and closer and Alec wouldn’t stop talking so he did the only thing that came to mind. 

Magnus strode over to Alexander and kissed him, thus ending his ranting. He could feel Alexander hold his breath for a few seconds before he carefully returned the chaste kiss. He felt how Alexander released his breath in relief, as if he had wanted to do this for a long time and felt relieved that it had finally happened. Magnus felt a pang of pain in his chest at the thought, and the real reason as to why the Vulcan had kissed him at this moment. He pulled away but stayed close enough so that Alec could hear his whispering. 

“I am truly sorry about that, but we will talk about it later. Right now, I need you to listen closely, okay? There are Romulans outside, and one of us needs to take this ship away from them, and the other needs to go get captain Garroway.” Magnus whispered. 

Alec nodded his head slowly. “I’ll go outside and distract them, I’ll get Garroway. You take the ship. Go.” 

“Okay. He’s on the third floor, cell C1. Be safe.” Magnus whispered and pulled away slightly. 

“You too. And Magnus?” 

  
“Yes?”

  
“You better not die on me, because we  _ are _ talking about that kiss later.” Alec said with a smile, and then he was gone.


	11. Coms and Collision Courses

Alec was walking off the ship and out into the cargo bay when he was met with four Romulans waiting there for him. 

“Evening gentlemen.” Alec said with a wide grin. 

The Romulans didn’t say anything, they just reached for their guns, but Alec was faster. He pulled the gun out of his belt and quickly shot three of the Romulans, pausing with the gun raised at the fourth. 

“Any last words?” He asked cockily, but the Romulan merely stared at the ship behind him as it started up. “Right, I brought a friend.” Alec added before he shot the last Romulan square in the chest. 

When he ran out of the cargo bay he set his gun from ‘stun’ to ‘kill’. You never knew how these situations would turn out. When he was in the main hangar again he looked up and down. There had to be at least 15 stories. He seemed to be somewhere around the 13th, maybe 12th storey. He ran to the nearest staircase only to be stopped by none other than Valentine himself. He was a tall man. Not as tall as Alec, but not far from it either. He had the classic face tattoos reserved for only the higher status Romulans, but they looked like they were made not that long ago, so they were probably self proclaimed. Alec raised his gun and carefully walked around Valentine who only smirked at him confidently. 

“You know.” Valentine spoke, looking directly at Alec, “I recognize your face from the earth’s history. You were quite the big name where I come from. Captain of the USS Institute, youngest captain in Shadowfleet’s history even. Trusted member of the Clave. Married to the highly respected Ambassador Bane. You racked up quite the list of accomplishments.” 

Alec listened but didn’t respond. He only kept circling the Romulan. 

“Not that any of it matters now. I’m going to take that all away. Your whole life. Just like I did with your father’s.” Valentine continued and smiled maliciously. 

Alec snapped at the mention of his father. He charged at Valentine who blocked his attack and sent him flying into a nearby wall. Alec coughed and tried to regain his breath as Valentine strode up to him and proceeded to pick him up in a chokehold. Alec clawed at his hands in a desperate attempt to get air but to no avail. He could see the world becoming unfocused, the edges of his vision turning black.

✰✰✰

Magnus did his best to control the ship with the red matter, but the controls were as suspected extremely complicated. It took him a while to first gain control of going straight, and now he had to be quick to find the weapons so that he could shoot himself out of the Circle since there were no exits open. He looked around in panic. 

“Come on come on… Weapons, where are you?” He mumbled to himself. 

_ “Weapons are activated.”  _ The computerized voice told him as a set of new controls appeared out of the control panel. 

“Fascinating…” Magnus mumbled to himself as he took control of the weapons and started firing at the nearest wall that should lead off the ship. 

It took him a few tries, but eventually the wall gave out and Magnus was able to squeeze the ship out of the hole he had created and out into space. The first thing he did when he was out was to steer the ship down towards earth. 

As he passed the planet’s atmosphere and he got closer to the surface he saw the drill. It was currently drilling a hole in the water there. He got as close as he could and started to shoot at it. After a few rounds the drill finally snapped and the remnants of it fell into the water, almost hitting the Golden Gate Bridge on its way down. 

_ “Captain. What’s going on? Are you okay?” _

He could hear Isabelle’s worried tone through the com.

“I’m fine. I just destroyed the drill as you may have noticed. Are transportations working?” He asked instead. 

_ “Yes sir. Both communications and transportations are up and running. Are you safe? Where is Alec? He’s not responding.” _ She asked and Magnus felt his chest tighten. 

“He was going to rescue captain Garroway. I’m going back right now.” Magnus said and turned his ship around, heading back towards the Circle.

✰✰✰

_ “Captain! The Ambassador’s ship has been taken, including the red matter! And Bane destroyed the drill!” _

The com system echoed loudly in the entire ship. Valentine screamed in frustration and threw Alec down on the floor before he ran out of the main hangar, probably to go deal with Bane. 

Alec regained his breath slowly and his vision came back. He was still breathing heavily when he saw a pair of black boots in front of him. He looked up and saw an evil looking Romulan stand there, looking down at him with a devious smile. Alec was quick, he swiped his leg and tripped the Romulan to get the advantage. He tried to get to his feet but felt the Romulan grab his arm and twist his injured shoulder. He let out a howl of pain but managed to reverse the situation somewhat. They kept wrestling like that until Alec was on his back at a railing. The Romulan had his arms pinned over his head and smiled in victory.

“You know, you humans are such a weak species.” The Romulan said and pressed Alec towards the railing which creaked under the pressure. 

“Just look at you. Take away your gun and your hands, and all you can do is die.” The Romulan continued taunting. 

“You forgot about something though.” Alec managed to grit out through his teeth.

“Oh yeah, and what’s that?” The Romulan asked.

“You forgot to lock my legs, you idiot.” Alec said and proceeded to kick his legs on the Romulan’s stomach, thereby lifting him up into the air and causing him to fly over Alec’s head and fall over the railing. 

Something that Alec hadn’t calculated though, was that the impact caused him to push at the railing so hard that it cracked, and he did a backwards somersault over the edge and fell.

✰✰✰

Magnus was almost back at the Circle when the ship notified him that he was being hailed. He responded to the call and his screen lit up with Valentine’s face. 

“I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance, Bane.” He said in an angry tone.

“Yes, you should have. What have you done with Alec Lightwood?” Magnus asked the Romulan who smiled unnervingly. 

“Oh, your little buddy? He’s dead by now. You shouldn’t have left him alone here.” Valentine answered with glee in his voice. 

“And captain Garroway?” Magnus asked through gritted teeth.

“Long gone. It was all for nothing, wasn’t it? Garroway, dead. Lightwood, dead. And now, Bane, you will be too.”

Magnus couldn’t believe his ears. Was Alexander really dead? Could it be true? And captain garroway? He felt an emotion storming up inside him. He couldn’t place it, but it felt like anger, grief, sadness, and shock all rolled into one. He knew what he had to do. 

He hung up on Valentine and steered his ship right towards the Circle, towards the heart of the ship. He set the course to automatic.

_ “The ship is now set to a collision course. It will ignite the red matter. If you want to change this, do so now.”  _ The computerized voice told him. 

“Good.” He muttered to himself before activating his com to Isabelle. “Ms Lightwood, would you please beam me out of here?” 

_ “Yes sir!” _

✰✰✰

Alec fell over the edge. He tried to grab a hold of it but he was too far out, so he did the only thing he could do. He closed his eyes and prepared for his fate. But just then, he felt someone grab his arm mid air, and he was now hanging above the main hangar. He opened his eyes carefully, and the sight before him was one for sore eyes. Captain Garroway was standing there, holding onto his arm for dear life. Together they managed to haul Alec up onto a solid surface and he collapsed next to his captain. 

“Captain! You’re out, how…?” Alec trailed off, a big smile in place. 

“Well, when you came here wreaking havoc, I guess all the Romulans got distracted. Getting out of that cell was a piece of cake!” Garroway answered gleefully. 

“Wow, I… I don’t know what to say, I was just coming to rescue you!” Alec laughed out. 

“And what a rescue it was. You do know that typically, the rescuer doesn’t need rescuing, right?” Garroway teased and Alec just laughed. 

“No, I know.”

  
“So, what do you say we get out of here?” Garroway asked and helped Alec up into a standing position. 

“Right! I have to check if the coms work.” He said and tapped his com. “Simon, Simon are you there?” Alec asked but the only reply he got was a broken sound. “Shit, it must have broken in the fight.”

“And they took mine.” Garroway said.

“Simon! If you can hear this, I am with captain Garroway in the main hangar of the ship, beam us out of here as soon as you can!” Alec shouted into the com. 

“Better hope this works…” The captain said and shared an uneasy look with the first officer.

✰✰✰

_ “Simon, Simon are you there?”  _

Simon could hear Alec’s voice in the com.

“Yes! I’m here! What’s happening? Are you guys okay?” Simon asked in panic, but he got no response.

_ “Simon, beam captain Bane out of there! He’s on a collision course!” _ He could hear Ms Lightwood call out. 

“On it.” He responded.

_ “Simon! If you can hear this, I am with captain Garroway in the main hangar of the ship, beam us out of here as soon as you can!” _ He heard Alec’s voice again. 

Simon gulped audibly. He had to beam all three of them out as soon as possible. He started with captain Bane. He manually located the Vulcan and locked onto his signal, then he started to beam him up onto the Institute. When he saw the swirling lights begin to take shape he tried to locate the other two. 

It took him a few seconds but soon he had distinguished the two from the other Romulan life forms on the Circle and started to beam the two of them onto the same receiving pad as captain Bane now stood. When he saw the swirling lights take place he witnessed captain Bane flinch slightly, but he stood rooted in place and observed the new passengers. When it revealed Lightwood and Garroway he saw captain Bane blink stupidly a couple of times, before launching himself in Alec’s arms. Both him and the other officers in the transportations room looked at the scene curiously. 

Simon saw Alec whisper something in captain Bane’s ear and then they broke apart before the whole ship started shaking as though they had taken a particularly large hit. 

Garroway made his way over to Simon and tapped the room’s com. 

“Captain Garroway to the bridge, what  _ the hell _ was that?!”

_ “Sir, there was an explosion. The red matter…”  _ They could all hear Raphael’s voice. 

“The red matter what? Spit it out!” Garroway urged.

  
_ “Sir. It hit the Circle and created the largest black hole I’ve ever seen.” _ Maia’s voice filled the room, and everyone looked around at each other in fear as Maia continued. _ “And we’re being sucked right into it.” _


	12. Bigger Explosions

“I thought you were dead…” Magnus whispered through his tears, and it broke Alec’s heart.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, we still have that kiss to talk about.” Alec whispered back.

They broke apart and looked at each other, Magnus with tears in his eyes and Alec gave him a reassuring smile. Then, the whole ship started shaking.

Garroway made his way over to Simon and tapped the room’s com. 

“Captain Garroway to the bridge, what  _ the hell _ was that?!”

_ “Sir, there was an explosion. The red matter…”  _ They could all hear Raphael’s voice. 

“The red matter what? Spit it out!” Garroway urged.

_ “Sir. It hit the Circle and created the largest black hole I’ve ever seen.” _ Maia’s voice filled the room, and everyone looked around at each other in fear as Maia continued. _ “And we’re being sucked right into it.” _

Alec looked at Magnus and then they both hurried out of the transportations room. They ran over to the bridge and looked outside. It was truly magnificent, and if they had been anywhere but in the middle of it, Alec would have been impressed by the sheer size of the black hole. Now though, it was a life and death situation, and he felt the panic rise within him. He looked to Magnus who seemed to be in a similar state. 

“Captain?” Alec asked unsurely, since Magnus was still the acting captain of the Institute, seeing as Garroway was currently being treated in the medical bay.

The question seemed to snap Magnus out of it, realisation colouring his features. 

“Captain, what do we do?” Isabelle asked and all eyes were now on Magnus. 

“Logically, this would seem to be one of those no win scenarios…” Magnus started and the officers around the bridge seemed to slouch their shoulders and look down to the floor, as did Alec. “But, fortunately we have someone onboard who doesn’t believe in no win scenarios. Isn’t that right, Mr Lightwood?” Magnus finished and looked at his first officer. 

Alec snapped his head up at the mention of his name and locked eyes with Magnus. “That’s right.” He confirmed, still baffled by the whole situation. 

“Right then, everyone listen closely, Mr Lightwood is now the acting captain of the Institute. We’ll try this his way for once.” Magnus told the entire bridge, and he could see their hope reigniting. Alec looked at him and gave him a wide smile which Magnus returned. 

“Izzy, hail the Circle.” Alec demanded and Izzy complied, although with a curious look at her brother. 

Valentine’s face showed up on the big screen.

“This is acting captain Lightwood of the USS Institute. We are offering to beam your people onboard and rescue you from the black hole.” Alec said casually.

Magnus snapped his head up and whispered in his ear. “I know that you are captain, but what on earth are you doing?!” 

“It might be the only way to make peace with the Romulans. It’s only logical, Magnus, I thought you would like that?” Alec whispered back. 

“Surprisingly, not this time.” Magnus muttered back.

“I would rather die a thousand deaths than to ever step foot on a Clave vessel.” Valentine hissed and disconnected the call.

“You got it.” Alec said mostly to himself before he turned to the other officers. “Fire everything we’ve got on the Circle, try to hit the fuel tanks. Maybe the explosion will give us the push we need to get out of range from the black hole.” He continued and the officers working the weaponry complied. 

They shot at the fuel tanks of the Circle and Alec had been right, there were several big explosions, and they did push the Institute away a bit, but it wasn’t enough.

“I think we need bigger explosions, captain!” Maia called out. 

Alec thought about the different possibilities, this was the only thing he could think of that would cause enough power to push them far enough to warp away. If the Circle’s explosions weren’t big enough, what would cause larger ones…? Then it came to him. 

  
“Roberts, do we have any ammunition left?!” Alec asked.

“Yes sir, two shots left!” Maia answered. 

Then they all heard a large crack. The bridge was splitting in the ceiling. 

“Are you a good shot?” Alec asked but Maia hesitated.

Then the floor beneath them cracked and a few officers left their stations. 

“Roberts, answer me!” Alec yelled.

“No, sir! I’m not!” Roberts cried out in panic.

“I am, sir!” Raphael called out.

“Good, Santiago you have exactly two chances to get this right or we all die, understand?” Alec asked.

“Yes sir! What am I firing at?” Raphael asked nervously. 

“Simon, eject the core!” Alec called out into the com. 

_ “Yes sir!” _

“Alec, what are you doing? Are you crazy?!” Izzy yelled at her brother with fear and panic painted across her face. “We won’t be able to warp at all!”

“We can’t use warp anyway, and hopefully this explosion will take us so far away that we won’t need them!” Alec yelled back. “Okay, everyone ready? Fire!” 

Raphael took the first shot, but missed. 

“Come on, Santiago, you can do this!” Alec yelled. 

Raphael took a deep breath, and fired again.

The bridge was silent except for the cracks of it breaking. Everyone held their breath as they followed the last shot they had at getting out of this alive. They saw how the shot went out into space and towards the ejected core. And it hit it. There was a blinding, blue light that lit up the entire bridge and the area around it, as though there was a lightning strike in space. Soon after came the silence, the type of eerie silence that only an explosion could cause. After that came the pull, the whole ship was pushed back by such a force, Alec wasn’t sure the ship would hold under its pressure. He closed his eyes and held his breath, squeezing Magnus’ hand and he felt how the Vulcan squeezed it back. What was probably only seconds felt like hours. But then, the ship stilled. 

Alec slowly opened his eyes and saw the black hole devour the last bits of the Circle. He looked around the bridge. It was damaged, yes, and the officers around him all looked a little roughed up, but they were safe. They were finally safe. 


	13. Epilogue

Magnus was standing inside the Shadowfleet Academy, looking out through the large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the quad. A man passed him and at first glance he thought it was his father, thereby his exclamation. 

“Father!”

The man turned around and looked at Magnus. 

“I am definitely not  _ our _ father.” The man said with a smirk, so uncommon for a Vulcan. 

Magnus looked at the man in shock and realisation. “Oh.”

“‘Oh’ indeed.” The man said and walked up to Magnus. 

“So it is true then? You are the source of not only the ship with the red matter, but also the memory given to Alec Lightwood?” Magnus asked his future self. 

“Yes.” Future Magnus simply replied. 

“But… Why? And why show yourself now?” 

“Well, seeing as there are so few left of us, we cannot afford to ignore each other. As for the first ‘why’, I thought it to be only appropriate. In this world, it seemed that you needed a little push towards each other.” Future Magnus explained. 

Magnus nodded understandingly, but then he realised something. “What do you mean ‘in this world’? Was that memory not from this future?” He asked.

“No.” The older man answered and looked at his younger self curiously. 

“But then… Why would Alec tell me that?” Magnus muttered mostly to himself. 

The older Magnus smiled. “Probably because he wanted it to be true…” 

Magnus could feel himself blush. He cleared his throat. “Well, that doesn’t really matter at the moment. I need to resign from the Shadowfleet and go back home to help rebuild the Vulcan race.” 

“And yet, you can be in two places at once.” Future Magnus said with a wink before he turned and walked away. 

Magnus thought about those words. He thought about them a lot.

✰✰✰

“This assembly calls captain Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Your bravery and valor are of the highest quality as seen by the Clave. We are here today to award you this commendation.” Imogen, the highest ranking Admiral, said as she gently placed a medal onto Alec’s Shadowfleet uniform. “It is my honour to assign you to the USS Institute, and by Clave order 22475, you are here to relieve Admiral Garroway of his captaincy of said shadowship.” She continued. 

Alec nodded in respect and turned around to Admiral Garroway. He did the salute and spoke. 

“Admiral Garroway, I hereby relieve you, sir.” Alec said respectfully, trying to contain his excitement. 

“I am relieved.” Garroway said, winking proudly at Alec. 

“Thank you sir.” Alec said and this time, let his wide smile show. He held out his hand and the admiral shook it.

“Your father would be proud.” He said so that only Alec could hear. 

Alec then heard the applause of the whole assembly, and he looked out over the crowd. He spotted his sister, beaming down at him. He saw Simon, Clary, Maia, and Raphael all looking excited. Then he saw Magnus, who looked at him with a curious expression. They hadn’t talked much since they saved the Institute and its crew from the black hole. There had been a lot going on. But he knew that it wouldn’t last forever. Alec had to find Magnus to ask him to be his first officer at some point. And, even though it seemed Magnus had forgotten, Alec definitely hadn’t. They still had that kiss to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's it folks!   
> Until next time... ;)


End file.
